If I Knew Then
by CrazyLove345
Summary: Two people. Two hearts. One love story. All of it starts with an empty bus seat. Based off the song "If I Knew Then" by Lady Antebellum.
1. Young and Restless

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 1**

**Young and Restless**

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><p><em>The first time that I saw you<br>Looking like you did  
>We were young, we were restless<br>Just two clueless kids_

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><p>Aria never thought that she'd actually be able to finally see Rosewood again. It felt like forever since the last time she saw it the small town she grew up in. The familiar sights, sounds, and people called to her like an alcoholic to a bottle of rum. She knew that it'd be a long bus ride from Chicago, but she was willing to wait as long as she had to be able to see her family and childhood friends again.<p>

She gazed out the window as she mentally said goodbye to the large city she'd been living in since college; a star student who majored in English at Illinois University. She graduated with high honors and went to work at an elementary school in the rough of the city where she wanted to help low-income kids. That was where she'd met her long term boyfriend Hayden. He was a basketball coach and second grade teacher. They've been dating for more than two years and she was so ready to settle down with him.

Hayden sat beside her, his big chestnut brown eyes shining at her, his hand caressing hers. His short spiky blonde hair burned amber in the dim lighting of the bus, "Are you excited to be visiting your family, Aria?"

Aria leaned over and kissed his soft cheek, "I've missed them so much. I want to be able to hug them. That's all I really want."

Hayden nodded. This was only the second time he'd ever met his girlfriend's family. They seemed to like him fine and Ella, her mother, even told Aria how respectful and handsome he was. So, that seemed to be a big win in his eyes. He shot her his signature smile at her and kissed her temple, "We'll be seeing them in just three days."

"You make it sound like forever."

"I promise it'll go by quickly, my sweets." Hayden wrapped his arm around Aria and they settled into their cushioned seats, getting ready to endure the next seventeen-two hours they had alone together.

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><p>Ezra awaited the bus by the station, two small suitcases in his hands, his dark brown curls falling over his forehead, his dark blue eyes darting around. He was on his way to Rosewood, Pennsylvania to start his new teaching job at a local college. Hollis College. That's where he went to college before he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to work at a small newspaper. Unfortunately, it'd gone out of business with the growing technology.<p>

While he was searching for a new job, one of his old professors had contacted him on an opening at the small university and he, being a bachelor and nothing holding him back, took the job at that very moment, not even thinking. His older brother, Kenneth, offered his guest bedroom at his house in Phillie where he, his wife, and two year old daughter lived.

The early November air ripped through his thin jacket and sent a chill go down his spine, making him shiver. The sooner he got away from this cold weather, the better. That's one of the many things he would not miss about Ohio. Plus, the rivalry between Ohio State and University of Michigan got on his nerves; especially since he was a big UVM fan, since that was where his father went. Then his old apartment was in the middle of the rough of Hamilton, a microscopic town just a few miles northwest of Cincinnati. He just wanted to escape Ohio altogether.

When the bus finally arrived, he took a deep breath and stepped on. He showed the bus driver his ticket and looked over his shoulder at the old city he once called home, "Goodbye. I won't miss you."

The bus driver smiled at him and shook his head, "Please get on, sir. We have to make it to Cleveland by six so then we can all get a bite to eat."

"Okay." Ezra clambered onto the bus and saw that there were hardly any seats left. He gazed at the back of the bus and saw an open seat beside a young couple; a petite brunette and a spiky haired blonde. They were watching the movie playing on a portable DVD player, their heads against each other. When they saw him coming, the petite brunette picked up her head from her boyfriend's shoulder and smiled sweetly up at him. He was unaware of words coming out of her mouth as he stared at her. Never in his life had he ever seen such a beautiful woman. And that was saying something since he spent a year abroad with a bunch of foreign girls who wanted to get him drunk all the time.

She had this stunning very dark brown brunette hair that fell over her shoulders in a magnificent waterfall and her eyes burned a brown hazel at him. Her smile contained pearly white teeth between perfect soft pink lips. She was tiny; at most 5'2. She probably didn't way more than a hundred and ten pounds and around the age of twenty. She just screamed perfection at him.

"….Dude, are you okay?" The man that sat beside the woman asked him. Ezra scowled at him. He was this punk kid with gelled spiky blonde hair and big brown eyes. His shirt was too tight and his jeans were too baggy. He had two piercings in his right ear and a tattoo on his arm. His girlfriend deserved better than him, that was for sure.

Ezra finally found his voice, "I'm alright." His tone was a mumble and barely comprehensible. He mentally cursed himself and rose his voice slightly, "Would you guys mind if I sat in that extra seat."

The punk kid rolled his brown eyes and narrowed them at him, "Aria just asked you if you wanted to sit there."

The girl, or as her smart ass boyfriend called her, "Aria," gently slapped his arm, "Oh, Hayden, stop being an ass. If you want to sit here, you can."

"Thank you." He pointedly said in the direction of the punk kid, "I'm sorry. My name is Ezra."

Aria shot out her hand and shook his, "Hello, Ezra. I'm Aria Montgomery."


	2. Two Clueless Kids

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 2**

**Two Clueless Kids**

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><p><em>The first time that I saw you<br>Looking like you did  
>We were young, we were restless<br>Just two clueless kids_

* * *

><p><em>He smells so good <em>Aria flirtatiously thought as Ezra read a book, settled in beside her in the window seat. He was obviously a good looking guy; dark brown curls, beautiful blue eyes, and a perfectly chiseled jaw. He was muscular yet with a lanky build. He carried only two suitcases, which now sat in the back where her and Hayden's luggage as well as the rest of the passengers' thing laid. He had a small satchel which was filled with old literature novels. _He's smart too._

Hayden was annoyed by Ezra's presence. He occupied himself by a video game on his cell phone while Aria made conversation with her new acquaintance.

"What are you reading now? That's your third book in three hours. Don't you have a headache by now?"

He shook his head with a boyish smile crossing his adorable face as he replied, "I've always been a bookworm. All through my short life, all I can remember is having a book in my hands."

She ducked her head to see what book he was reading, "_To Kill a Mockingbird _by Harper Lee? I remember that book from my junior year in high school. I really enjoyed reading it."

"Oh yeah? I would have pinned you as more of a _Twilight Saga_ type."

She laughed and Hayden shot her an annoyed look. She narrowed her eyes at him in warning to relax. After all, she was just making conversation to make the bus ride go faster, "Well, there was that faze. But I've always been more interested in older novels."

Ezra's boyish grin widened, "I wish there were more girls out there like you." He paused for a moment, "Hayden here is a lucky guy."

Hayden's muscles tensed and his brown eyes filled with anger, "I am. And I would appreciate it if you would stop flirting with my girlfriend."

Aria rolled her eyes, "Ezra and I are just talking, Hayden. Go back to playing your game." That's one thing that she hated about her boyfriend. He was a great guy, but he had insecurities; he got jealous easily and thought Aria couldn't ever speak to the opposite sex without him being present.

Hayden sighed in frustration, "Whatever, Ar."

Aria turned back to the curly haired man sitting beside her, "Sorry about that. What were we talking about again?"

Ezra thought for a moment, "We were starting about how amazing this novel is. The theme is so-"

"Heartbreakingly wonderful?" She interrupted and they locked gazes. She was captured on how the dark blue they were; they drowned her like the Atlantic Ocean. She didn't want to be saved though. She didn't fight to get back to the surface. She enjoyed the warmth and sweet friendly glimmer in the sapphire depths.

He was the one who finally broke eye contact, "Yeah, heartbreakingly wonderful would work. I was surprised to find such a perspective seven year old voicing the story. Maybe a bit too perspective for one so young."

Aria looked at him, taken aback, "I think you're missing the point. The author was looking back on what she was passionate about when she was a kid."

Ezra met her gaze again, a surprised look clear on his face, "Do you think it's fair to imply that insight?"

"Yeah, kids see a lot. Probably more than adults. They just don't have the words yet to express their feelings."

He sighed and glanced down at his hands before meeting her eyes once more, "What makes them see more?"

"Because they're curious. And they act on their feelings."

"And you think that adults have lost that ability? To act on their feelings?" He asked her, his eyebrows creasing as he took in her words.

Aria flirtatiously replied, "Not the lucky ones." _Oh God, what am I doing? I barely know this guy. Why am I flirting with him? _Really, why was she? He could be a serial killer for all she may know.

She watched as his tongue crawled along his bottom lip and she felt herself watching it, wanting it in her mouth, battling for dominance with hers…_Oh my gosh. What is he doing to me?, "_And what happens to those who are unable to act on their feelings?"

_Why is he torturing me like this_?, "They get very frustrated." Their eyes were locked in a daze again. She couldn't tear herself away from them. They were so inviting, so warm, and so familiar. She could stare into them all day if she really wanted to.

Ezra broke her infatuation with his eyes when she heard his voice, "What are you staring at?" There was that smile again. That beautiful charming grin that sent a hoard of butterflies through her stomach as she saw it.

"Nothing. When you're done reading the book, do you think I could borrow it?" She asked, her voice higher pitched than she would have liked, "I mean, it's another two hours before we arrive in Cleveland for dinner, and I don't really have anything to keep me occupied." _Despite looking at your face the entire night….Aria, get a hold of yourself!_

He ducked his head with a chuckle and then glanced back up at her, his grin widening, all of pearly white teeth flashing, "Of course you may. Actually," He held it out to her, "you can start reading it now. I have some writing to do anyways."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to do that-"

He interrupted her, "Just take it, Aria. I _want _you to read it. After all," He looked at her up and down, "you have to find more proof on how the author took liberties with the narrator's voice."

"Well, I hope I have enough proof to prove to you by the end of this bus ride that I was right and you were wrong." They shared another laugh and when she reached out to take the book from him, their hands brushed. All of a sudden, Aria felt an electric shock rush through her body as her skin met his.

He pulled his hand away first, his cheeks flushing pink, "I hope you enjoy it." He clenched his jaw as he gazed out the window, his hands clumping into fists.

_Did he feel that too? I've known him just four hours. Why do I feel this attraction to him? It feels like I've known him all my life, _"Thanks again." _I have to find out what all of this means. _She thought as she settled into her seat, getting ready to dive into the book, _I _am _going to figure all of this out. After all, we go our separate ways in just a couple of days. And I just don't want to say goodbye to him. _

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><p>How could he be such an idiot? The girl was taken and here he was thinking about her smile, her beautiful hazel eyes, her hair that he wanted so much to press his face into...Aria was the most perfect girl he had ever met in his life and of course, she had to be taken! By insecure Punky Hayden nonetheless! They'd known one another for barely four hours. Why was he feeling such a strong attraction to her?<p>

He gazed out the window, trying to ignore the two people beside him. He couldn't believe what was going on. _I haven't ever been in love before. And I would love to be able to fall in love with this amazing girl, but she's taken by Punky over there. _He'd felt _a spark _when he and Aria's hands had brushed. _Did she feel it too?_

Aria suddenly announced that she had to use the bathroom at the back of the bus and Hayden sweetly said something that made her giggle. Ezra watched with jealously tearing through his being as they shared a lingering kiss before she finally broke away. He clenched his jaw and looked out the window again. Once Aria was out of sight, Hayden turned to him, his face serious, "Hey, Ezra, can I ask you something?"

He glanced back at Punky, refusing to meet his eyes, "What?" _Keep calm, Ezra._

The other man took a deep breath and reached into his jacket pocket, taking out a small velvet box, flipping it open to reveal a small diamond engagement ring, "I want to propose to Aria when we get to Rosewood, in front of her family and friends. I don't know if she's ready to get married yet, though. She and I have only been dating barely two years. I'm sure for my feelings for her, but can you tell if she's ready or not?"

_Why is he asking me this? I barely even know him and his extremely hot girlfriend. Why does he care about my opinion? _Ezra thought to himself before responding, "I don't know, Hayden. I haven't really known you guys very long, so…"

"Oh okay." Hayden sighed before continuing, "She's just so perfect! She's smart, beautiful, and good with kids! She is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Listen, man," Ezra was just going to be honest with him. He wanted Aria to be happy, after all, "If you really do love and care about Aria, don't let anything or anyone stop you. So what if she says no because she's not ready? You'll still have the ring and she'll still be your girlfriend."

"That's a good point. Thanks. You know," Hayden gave him a half smile, "once you get past the goofy hair and the flirty smile, you aren't that bad of a guy, Ezra."

"Thanks. I'll take that has a compliment."

Aria arrived and plopped down between them. Hayden quickly slipped the engagement ring back into his jacket pocket before his girlfriend saw it, "How was the bathroom, my sweets?"

She ruffled his spiky blond hair before planting on a small kiss on his lips, "It was the bathroom. Nothing really special." She glanced at Ezra with a smile, "Nice to see you two getting along. What were you talking about when I was gone."

Ezra shrugged, "Guy stuff. You know, football and stocks. The norm." He saw Hayden give him a friendly grin before he turned his eyes away from the couple and began to look out the window, _He's going to propose to her, Ezra. You never had a chance anyways. _He watched the landscape change as they crossed from one small town into a much larger city. He heard Aria giggle and then out of the corner of his right eye, he watched as she kissed her boyfriend, her arms wrapping around his neck. Anger and jealousy planted in his stomach as he turned his attention back to his watching the road they were traveling. He'd never felt this way about anyone before and now he was watching her kiss another man. _It's over, Ezra. The game is over. _He smiled to himself, _Time to bring out the cheat codes and restart._

**I hope you guys are enjoying it so far. I give all the credit of the inspiration to my obsession of Lady Antebellum music. If you have read Double Infinity and A Romance to Last a Lifetime, two of my four fanfics, you know that I am in love with their music (as well as Charles Kelley, one of the two lead singers!). Everything from the beginning the bands career to today with their new work on **_**Own the Night. **_**I've liked them for almost four years. And I cannot express how excited I am for the season finale of PLL because they are using 'Just a Kiss'. It's so funny because I have been begging the writers for **_**months **_**on to use it and now they are finally doing it! I am so happy!**

**Please drop a review and make a few suggestions. Constructive criticism, not burning, thank you! **


	3. Three Rows to the Left

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 3**

**Three Rows to the Left**

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><p><em>You're on a bus in Chicago<br>Three rows to the left  
>You know my heart<br>is reaching for you  
>But we never even met<em>

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><p>The bus stopped for dinner in Cleveland at exactly six and by that time, Aria's stomach was grumbling. All she'd had earlier that day was a burrito from a gas station in Columbus. Now, she just wanted to tuck in and eat a meal.<p>

Where they stopped wasn't exactly the fanciest. It was a pub called _Snookers _and it was a dark lit place. There were a few pool tables, where the men, Hayden included, on the trip divided up into teams so hustle one another while their wives and girlfriends piled around a couple of tables and exchanged a few words and some gossip.

The only guy out of the whole bus trip who wasn't playing pool was Ezra. He just sat reading a book on a stool by the bar. He held a glass of scotch in his hand. His wavy curls fell over his eyes and he seemed to be tense. Ever since Aria returned from the bathroom just two hours before, he would hardly even look at her. Did she do something wrong? Was he still upset about when he'd handed her _To Kill a Mockingbird _when their hands had touched?

She stared at the wall for a few moments and then looked back at him, just three seats to the left down from where she sat. He looked almost as if he were thinking and not paying attention to what he was reading. She sighed and then spoke for the first time, "What are you reading?"

His jaw clenched as his eyes shot up to meet hers, "I honestly don't know. I'm too distracted to read. I've got a lot on my mind, you know?"

"Like what?"

He glanced away, "I don't expect you to actually give a crap. It's fine. We're practically strangers, anyways."

"Ezra," She closed the space between them and moved her hand close to his closed fist, which tightened as she drew near, "even though that's the case, I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

Ezra shook his head, his eyes tight under those beautiful curls of his, "Aria, I'm fine. Just go hang out with your _boyfriend _or something." He emphasized the word _boyfriend _with a hint of a snarl to his voice and took the last swig of his scotch before holding up his glass in the air and calling out to the bartender, "Can I please get another?"

She slapped the pure oak bar and frustratingly replied, "Fine. Forget I asked."

He sighed and grabbed her wrist gently before she could get up, "I'm sorry for being a jerk. Like I said, I have a lot on my mind." He gave her a flash of his boyish smile, "So, can we start this conversation again? You know one when I'm not being such a douche bag?"

She smiled as she felt his skin caress hers, "Of course we can." Aria settled beside him again and noticed how close she was to his muscular body, watching his mature muscles flex under his black t-shirt. She swallowed, "So, what do you want to talk about?" Before he could answer, a song started to gently come out of the speakers. It was _Happiness _by The Fray. She loved this song and she murmured it out loud, "I love this song."

Ezra's eyes shot up to meet hers again, his boyish smile widening, "B-26." They exchanged a small laugh and he continued, "So, I never did have the chance to ask you and Hayden this on the bus. Why are you guys going to Rosewood?"

"Well, I got some time off of work because of Thanksgiving break and Hayden did as well, so we thought we'd head to Rosewood. I haven't seen my family and friends since I started dating him." She nodded and then asked him curious, "Why are you taking this bus?"

His pleasure was unmistakable as he replied, "I'm heading to Rosewood, too. I'm starting a new job at Hollis College. One of my old professors, Byron Montgomery….Wait, is that your dad? I remember you saying your last name is Montgomery."

Aria's own grin spread from one ear to the other, "Yes, that's my father. He's an-"

"Art history teacher. Yeah, I had him as a freshman before heading over to Amsterdam for my year of study abroad."

"A year abroad? I did that, too. Out of the college that I attended in Illinois, of course." They laughed together again, a gentle ringing met by a steady hum to bring almost the sound of music to the gloomy, smoke-filled air, "I went to Iceland. It was so much fun and I almost didn't want to go back to Chicago.'

"I spent some time Reykjavik on my way to Amsterdam. It's a great city." He moved his hand neared to hers, never losing eye contact with her.

Aria felt the butterflies beginning to bubble up in her stomach again as their skin was so close to touching and his face was just a few inches from hers, "So, you're teaching at Hollis, you were saying?"

"Ah, yes! It's my first teaching job. So I'm pretty stoked about it." His smile was so bright. White teeth that she wanted to run her tongue over….

She shook her head mentally of the thoughts, _Aria! Get a hold of yourself! You barely even know him and you have a boyfriend!, "_I think eventually I'd like to teach at that level. This major in English is sort of waiting for me to use it."

"That's what I'm teaching." His face broke out in that boyish smile again. _Lord help me. He's being so nice and so adorable. I need to calm the hell down!_

She might as well try to bond with him. She was never going to be unfaithful to Hayden. She loved him too much to do that to him, "Well, I write, too. But most of it's personal. You know, just for me?"

"I'm impressed."

She shook her head as she softly giggled, not believing that she just heard him say that, "Why?"

Ezra shrugged, "I tried writing. But…I didn't get very far. You're lucky. If you're writing for yourself, it's pure passion." He looked at her up and down and had his eyes linger on her lips before meeting her gaze again, "Maybe you'd let me read some of yours?"

""You…you really want to?" _He's pretty much asking you to read your diary, Aria. Why do you keep on letting him flirt with you?_

"Yeah." He said with sort of a 'duh' tone to his voice before he grinned at her again, "You're smart, you've travelled." He glanced up at the speakers of the pub before meeting her eyes, "Great taste in music!" He paused before continuing, "I'd like to know more about you."

Aria bit her bottom lip before responding, her eyes locking on his lips, "Yeah. I'd like to know more about you, too."

Before Ezra could say anything else, Hayden came up by the bar, forcing himself between them, "Hey, you guys!" His voice was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot from alcohol, "What are you talking about?" He motioned to the bartender, "More beers, man! More beers!"

Aria uncomfortably pushed away. She hated it when Hayden did this. When he was around alcohol, he was out of control. His tolerance for it was not that high, so he'd probably only had a couple of beers, "Hayden, you're drunk."

Her boyfriend shrugged, trying to clumsily caress her cheek, "Who cares? We're not going anywhere else tonight besides the hotel and I'm not driving, so I think you could let me have a little fun before seeing your family again."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, my sweets. I love your family! Most of the time, anyway…." He tried to kiss her, but she pushed him away. He held up his hands in surrender just as the bartender placed five more beers on the bar, "Fine then! I'll be over here with my new friends if you need me!" He stumbled back over to the pool table, the bees in hand, "Hey, guys. I got more!"

Aria gathered up her purse and got up to go to the bathroom, completely forgetting about Ezra sitting beside her until she heard his soft, sweet, and nurturing voice, "Are you alright?" His tone rang with concern for her and she could see in his blue eyes that he was worried about her.

"I just need to used the restroom." She tried to hide the shake in her voice as she responded to him.

He stood as well, never losing eye contact with her as he looked down on her, "Let me go with you." He paused, shaking his head, "I don't mean like with _with _you, but there are a lot drunken idiots in here that could take advantage of you." As he said this, his gaze locked on Hayden, his jaw clenched and his shoulders tense, as if he wanted to straighten him out himself.

"You don't have to do that, Ezra. I'll be fine."

"Aria, don't lie to me." He said seriously, "Besides, it'll only be a few minutes waiting outside the door."

"Well, I appreciate it." Aria and her new friend walked to the corridor where the bathroom laid. She turned to him before going in, "I'll be right out."

He shrugged, half-smiling, "No. Take your time."

Aria nodded and with one last glance at his adorable face, she entered the restroom, thinking, _Why can't there be more guys in the world like him?  
><em>

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><p><em>What's taking her so long? <em>Ezra thought as he glanced at his watch on his right wrist again. Aria had been in the bathroom for almost ten minutes and he was starting to grow worried. After what that bastard Hayden said to her about her family, he wouldn't blame her for wanting to be alone for a while.

Now, as he watched Hayden stumble around like a moron, he just wished that he knew him well enough so then he could just beat him to a pulp. He made his girlfriend, the woman that he _claimed _to love so much and wanted to spend _the rest of his life with_, cry. What kind of ass made his girlfriend cry?

Ezra was becoming even more anxious as ten minutes crawled to thirteen. No other woman was in the bathroom, as far as he knew, so he pushed the door open slightly to softly call out her name, Aria? Are you alright?"

At first there was no response to his question, but just as he was about to close the door, he heard her speak through choked sobs, "Not really, Ezra."

He didn't care that he was walking into a woman's restroom at that very moment. He just walked up right behind Aria, who was facing the dirty bathroom wall and forcing herself to be wiping her tears from her eyes. He spun her around and wrapped her up in a comforting, warm hug.

He wasn't surprised to find her arms enclose up and around his arms, hugging him closer to her, crying into his black t-shirt. He just held her, not saying anything. He held her and held her until she wasn't crying anymore. They stood like that for about four or five minutes before she finally pulled away, "You don't have to see me like this. You barely even know me."

Even with tear stained cheeks and a mess of wet mascara running down her face, her long brunette hair frizzing up in every direction, she was still easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life, "Even though that's the case, I'm here if you need someone to talk to." He smiled softly at her, repeating the words that she'd told him earlier when he was being a total ass just because he was jealous, angry, and frustrated.

Aria finally cracked a smile along with a smile giggle, her voice still shaky as she replied, "Thank you. You didn't have to do this for me."

"No, I didn't _have _to. I _wanted _to." He finally summed up the courage to take a lock of her loose brunette hair gently with his fingers and delicately brushed it behind her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as he did so, "I hate seeing a girl as pretty as you cry."

"You really think I'm pretty?" She looked up at him with her long lashes batting over her hazel eyes.

He nodded honestly, "Beautiful, actually. You are the most beautiful girl-I mean _woman_-I have ever met in my life."

"That's sweet of you to say."

He shrugged, "Sweet is my middle name." They shared a laugh together yet again and his eyes locked on her lips before meeting her gaze again. _Maybe just one kiss will prove that I'm not going crazy over someone I just met for just nothing. _He inched his face close to hers and before he knew it, his lips barely met hers.

It was unlike anything he had ever felt in his life. It was like watching fireworks going off in his head, underneath his eyelids. Or feeling the petals of roses for the first time. Like seeing the face of a newborn baby. It was the most wonderful kiss he'd ever had in his life and it only last a few moments.

He was the first to pull away and he whispered softly to Aria, opening his eyes to only meet her hazel ones, "Holy crap."

**So that is chapter 3! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I give all of my inspiration of this story to my favorite band on the planet, Lady Antebellum and their song from their second album, **_**If I Knew Then. **_**When the album came out, I wasn't an Ezria shipper yet, since the show hadn't started yet, but as soon as season 1 came and gone, season 2 began, and I started to write my sequel for A Romance to Last a Lifetime, I realized that the song would make for a perfect storyline for my favorite TV couple. Plus, I have to pay some kind of tribute to country music for all it has given me in my life. And I might as well do it with a band that I listen to like my life depends on it.**

**So to answer a few questions and comments from my readers that I have received on the story so far:**

**stuck in neverland****: I'm glad you did click on the story, though you don't ship Ezria. That actually made me smile when I read that. I don't think it was a dumb decision at all! Besides that, I hope you see now **_**why **_**Ezra had that immediate distinction that Hayden wasn't the clean cut guy that Aria looks at him as. **

**HarrylovesGinny09****: I'm so happy to be writing another story too! And I am thrilled that you decided to tune in for this story just as you have for all of my others. Thank you for being such a loyal reader!**

**nightmares and dreamers****: No, they don't know each other. I thought that maybe I could walk borderline between the lyrics of the song, of two strangers meeting on a bus, with some what we have seen in the show. It's intriguing, sort of like how they met in the Pilot, but with a different look at it. **

**So, if you guys have any more questions, comments or suggestions that you think I should consider for the sake of the story, I am always happy to take them. Constructive criticism, not burning! **

**Have a very Happy New Year. And don't forget to watch the mid season premiere of season 2 of Pretty Little Liars tomorrow at 8! See you next update! **


	4. My Heart is Reaching for You

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 4**

**My Heart is Reaching for You**

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><p><em>You're on a bus in Chicago<br>Three rows to the left  
>You know my heart<br>is reaching for you  
>But we never even met<em>

* * *

><p>Fireworks. That's all that Aria saw when Ezra kissed her. The spark, the magic, the feeling of something <em>right. <em>Hayden's kisses didn't even compare with what she felt when Ezra's lips touched hers. She didn't care that she only met him earlier that day. The only thing on her mind was kissing him. Again and again.

When they pulled away from each other, she opened her eyes to find him staring back down at her, his mouth forming the words, "_Holy crap." _

"Did you feel that, too?" She asked him in a small, trembling voice.

He ran his hand nervously through his curly dark brown locks of hair, giving her a slight nod, "Ye-yeah. I d-did." He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry. You have a boyfriend and it was selfish of me to even think that you would want me to-"His plead for forgiveness was cut off short as she attacked his lips again, her fingers knotting in his hair. She felt his hands on her waist, pressing her closer to his agile body..

Suddenly, she was hoisted up on the bathroom counter, her lips still moving rhythmically with his. His hands slid gently up and down her back, relaxing her strangled nerves. Everything else was unimportant to her at that point. All that mattered was her and Ezra; nothing else.

After a heavy seven minute make out session, Aria finally pushed herself away. Both of them were breathing heavily and she felt sweat beginning to form on her forehead. She lifted her gaze to meet Ezra's and found his smoldering dark blue eyes glimmering back at her, half a smile on his glossy lips. He heavily exhaled, "Wow. That was…just wow."

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

His smile widened and he gave her one last lingering kiss on her lips before helping her off the counter, "You sure you want to go back out there? I mean, Hayden is still stumbling around like a drunken moron with other men's money in his pockets, I bet."

That's when she remembered Hayden. Her boyfriend. The man who she had loved for two years. _How could I be so unfaithful to him? I just kissed someone I barely even know in a bar bathroom! _"How could I be so stupid?"

Ezra's smile disappeared and he looked down at her in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"Ezra, I have a boyfriend! You don't even know me! Why did you kiss me? Why?" She edged away from him, glaring at him with teary-eyed fury.

She watched as anger and hurt battled in his eyes, "What? I tried to apologize when _I _kissed _you_, but you seemed to like kissing me just fine a minute ago! And I kissed you because I thought that you actually felt something between us! Plus," His lips snarled as he paused before continuing, "Hayden seems like a real nice guy to you when you're upset. You don't see him comforting you in a woman's restroom when you're crying for over ten minutes, now do you? He's a jerk, Aria. Why won't you let yourself see that?" He held out his arms, his voice rising, "What do you want from me? Just tell me that, please. Because I don't want to be your backup plan when things with Hayden fall apart."

That stung Aria a bit and she cringed away from Ezra, "I don't know what I want, Ezra! But I'll tell you one thing. Hayden is not a jerk. He's a good guy and a great boyfriend. It's pretty obvious that you don't know him and you don't know me. Okay?"

When he responded, Aria could literally feel the hurt and pain in Ezra's voice, "You're right. I really don't know anything about you." He turned his back to her and gripped the handle of the bathroom door. Before he left the restroom, he peered over his shoulder, looking right into her eyes, the sapphire depths reflecting her own hurt and frustration, "That doesn't mean that I don't want to get to know you. Because I would really love to." He clenched his jaw and left the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Aria felt tears welling up in her eyes and fall down her cheeks. She leaned against the bathroom counter, not bothering to wipe them away. _Ezra is a guy I met just earlier today. But why does is seem like he already understands me better than my own boyfriend does?__I've known Hayden for two years. I love him….Don't I?_

She turned toward the bathroom mirror, trying to clean herself up before going out to the bar again. She didn't want Ezra to see that she had been crying over him. Or that his words rang more truth than what she'd heard in a long time.

Aria left the bathroom and just as she emerged, Hayden walked up to her, his eyes softer than what they had been just twenty minutes ago, "Aria, I'm sorry. I was an ass when I said that to you about your family. I do love them, I do. I'm just a bit nervous about seeing them again."

She gave him a tentative smile, "Why are you so nervous? You know how much they like you."

"But Rosewood people kind of frighten me. Maybe it's just me being from Chicago and the fear of being in such a small town."

Aria's smiled widened at that comment, "I felt the same way when I went to Chicago. But as long as we're together, that's all that matters right?"

Hayden nodded, "I promise you that from now until we get to Rosewood, I will be perfectly civilized." He blinked those big brown eyes at her, "I love you, Ar. Please never forget that. Now matter stupid I may act."

"I would never forget that, Hayden. And I'll love you no matter how much of an ass you are." _I do love him. Even if he may be a little bit more outgoing than I would like, I care about him. Ezra doesn't know him. And he especially doesn't know me. _

Hayden wrapped her up in a tight hug, burying his face into her was quick to return it, though as she looked over his shoulder, she saw Ezra staring back at her. The veins popped out of his neck in anger and he turned his back to her, his shoulders tense as he left the bar, walking to the small hotel just down the street where the people on the bus would be staying for the night.

When Hayden pulled away, he noticed her gaze on the bar door and he glanced that way before meeting her eyes again, "Is everything alright? Who are you looking for?"

"No one. It's fine. Let's just get to the hotel, alright? I'm beginning to feel really tired."

"Anything for you, my lady." Hayden grinned at her, taking her hand in his larger one, "Let's head that way then."

Before they could even walk a meter, Aria pulled on Hayden's hand to pull her back into him, mashing her lips to his. She felt his fingers flutter on her cheeks and his other hand caress the small of her back, keeping her cemented to her body.

No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she did not feel the spark. The magic. The fireworks that had exploded inside of her when Ezra had kissed her so gently and lovingly. Hayden's kiss was bland and boring compared to that. It felt like old news. Kissing the past even though it was already gone. Like that time in her life was over.

After they broke apart after just a few moments, her boyfriend blinked in surprise at her, "What was that for?"

She forced herself to give him a smile, "Oh, I just felt like kissing you."

"Well, I am not going to complain about that." Hayden's wide smirk was almost blinding, "Come on. We can continue this in our hotel room."

"Can't wait." She said as they walked to the bar door and left _Snookers _and headed down the street. Her thoughts were a whirlwind, _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

><p><em>How could she just rub Hayden in my face like that? After kissing me and then rejecting me to be with her amazing boyfriend? What am I? Just her bed buddy when things with Hayden don't work out? <em>Ezra paced throughout his hotel room, his fists at his sides and his anger almost taking over him. Why had he been so stupid to actually think she would leave her _perfect _boyfriend for him; a guy that she hardly knew?

His cell phone rang from the night stand between the two queen sized beds. He took a deep breath before going over to it and glancing at the caller ID. It was his older brother, Kenneth. He flipped the phone open and spoke into it, "Hey, bro."

"_Hey, Ezra. How is the bus trip going?"_Knowing Kenneth, the older sibling who was a pre-med student at Pennsylvania University and interning at a large hospital in Phillie, anything that his younger brother was doing had to be irrelevant. Ezra respected his brother for being so successful, if not jealous, and for giving him a home while he went to work at Hollis this next year, but sometimes he was just a bit overbearing.

Ezra ran his hand through his curly dark brown hair, "It's been interesting." _That doesn't even explain half of it._

"_Any hot girls riding the bus with you?"_

His mind instantly flew to Aria and he coughed nervously, "There are a couple of them that have caught my eye."

"_Have you made a move at all? Come on, bro! Any girl would be lucky to have you."_

"Easy for you to say, Mr. I've Been Married Since I was eighteen to My High School Sweetheart."

"_Well, Natalie is pretty amazing, isn't she?" _Kenneth sighed with a soft laugh, "_I have bad news though. We were renovating the guest room and there was a bit of a mishap. You can't stay at the house until we get it fixed." _

Ezra held the cell phone to his ear, anger and impatience bubbling inside of him, "Kenneth, what the hell? We planned this months ago. Why are you just now renovating the guest room?"

Kenneth's deep voice responded to him, hinting at his own frustration, "_I'm sorry, Ezra. The pipes blew up inside the wall of the guest room just as we were getting it ready for you to get here and settle in. To make you feel any better, I know a place where you can stay until I get your room finished. I have an old apartment in Rosewood. Apartment 3B. It's the place I stayed when I was going to Hollis. Do you remember it at all?"_

"A little bit."

"_I ended up buying out my lease and now I own it. It's tiny; only enough room for one person, but it's furnished and the neighbors are pretty quiet. It'd be temporary. Just until we get the guest room fixed for you."_

Ezra sighed, but proceeded to reply, "I guess that could work."

"_I'll get it ready for you when you get here, then._" There was a pause on the other end and then Ezra heard his older brother chuckle, "_A certain little girl would like to talk to her uncle."_

Despite all of the emotions raging through him at that moment, talking to his two year old niece sounded like a great idea, "Sure, put Emma on the line."

There was a ruffling noise on the other end of the call and then he heard a small voice, "_Wuncle Wezra?" _

"Hey, Emma! How is my favorite little niece doing?"

"_Gwood. Where ware wou?" _

"I'm almost home. I should be there by tomorrow night. Then you'll be able to give me a big Emma hug, okay?"

"_Okway. I wove wou, Wuncle Wezra." _

Ezra smiled softly to himself as he responded to the two year old, "I love you, too, sweet pea." Emma gave the phone back to her father and Ezra couldn't help but envy his old brother yet again for his success as well as his great family, "It sounds like the speech therapy is coming along well. Though I hear an overuse of 'W' in her words."

"_Cut her some slack, Professor Fitz. She's only two. Not everyone can be an English language extraordinaire like some people."_

"Touché. So, I'll see you guys tomorrow night at the bus station? I already had my car shipped down there."

"_Yeah, I picked it up already. It'll be washed and waiting for you at the station. See you then, little brother." _

"I'll see you then." Ezra ended the call and flipped his phone closed just as there was a light knock on his hotel room door. He opened it to only have his eyes met by large hazel ones, "Aria, what are you doing here?"

Aria looked up at him with those beautiful hazel orbs again and gave him half of a smile, making his heart flutter inside the cavity of his chest, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He hesitated. She'd already stabbed him in the heard once today. _Should I really give her that power all over again? _He realized that he should at least hear her out and he nodded, "Come on in."

She entered the hotel room and sat on the edge of one of the beds, folding her hands into her lap, her long brunette hair bundled up into a messy ponytail, "I hope I didn't wake you or anything…"

"No, I was up. I just got off the phone with my brother." There was an awkward silence between them before Ezra finally asked, "Aria, why did you come here?"

Aria took a deep breath and met his gaze, looking up at him with a pleading glimmer in the hazel depths that he was getting lost in again, "I've been thinking a lot since what happened at the pub earlier today. About me and you. About me and Hayden. About how amazing that kiss was."

Ezra raised his eyebrows at her as he sat on the bed beside her, "It was an amazing kiss." They shared a nervous chuckle together and he sighed, "I still don't see why you came here, Aria. Surely talking to me isn't as exciting as talking to Hayden."

"That's where you're wrong, Ezra. The conversations we had today about _To Kill a Mockingbird _and about our years abroad. They were way more interesting than Hayden trying to teach me about sports and taking me out to party in the city on Friday nights. I never realized until I met you how different me and Hayden are."

"You know what they say. Opposites attract. You can probably fine something in common if you haven't already."

Aria rolled her eyes at him, "Ezra, are you not listening to me? I love Hayden, I really do. But I think we are just _too _different. When you and I spoke this afternoon, I felt more attached to you in a matter of hours than I have to Hayden in two years."

Ezra ran his hand through his curly brown hair nervously, his heart beginning to pound at what Aria was telling him, "Do you know what you are saying, Aria? Like you said to me earlier, we barely even know each other. And you've been with Hayden a long time and you are willing to give up everything you may or may not have with him to be with me?"

"I don't know what I'm saying, Ezra. I'm trying to figure this out myself, let alone explain it to you." She gave him another small smile before hesitantly enfolding one of her hands over his, "Maybe _this _could work."

He took a deep breath and looked at her straight in the eyes, "Look, I think you're amazing, Aria. When I first met you, I thought _who is this girl?_"

"I'm still that girl. Nothing has changed. After all, we've only known each other for a few hours."

"Yes, yes it has. You have a boyfriend and I don't you breaking his heart because of me, someone you met just earlier today."

She shook her head stubbornly, refusing to give up, "I know it's not just me. You…you fell like this is right for us, too."

_God, why is she doing this to me? Making me choose between her and what's the right thing to do in this situation, "_Then it's not right." He slipped his hand from under hers and pushed himself up to his feet, "We just can't." He opened the hotel room door for her and waited for her to leave.

She stood as well and as she past him, she slithered her gaze up his body and to his eyes, "Are you this is what you want?"

"I'm sure. Now please go back to your boyfriend and try and forget what happened between us earlier tonight."

She nodded sadly and walked down the hall, glancing over her shoulder at him. He watched her until she turned to corner at the end of the long corridor and disappeared from his sight. He exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and shook his head, thinking, _What did I just do?_

**I hope you guys are enjoying this so far and please drop a few words my way on what you like about it so far. All I can promised about the future of the story is that it basically follows the line between what has happened between Ezria and the lyrics of If I Knew Then as well as my own little sprinkle of creativity and imagination. Thank you so much reading! See you soon!**


	5. Love Only Comes Once in A While

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 5**

**Love Only Comes Once in A While **

* * *

><p><em>Love only comes<em>

_Once in a while_

_Knocks on your door _

_And throws you a smile_

* * *

><p>As soon as she was sure that Ezra could no longer see her, Aria fell apart, tears threatening to well up in the corners of her eyes. What was she going to do? She couldn't possibly give into her emotions, break things off with Hayden, and ride off into the Rosewood sunset with Ezra. After all, she'd been with her boyfriend for two years and she loved him more than anything else in the world.<p>

Then again, in the hours she'd known Ezra, he made get those butterflies that she had _never_ felt for Hayden. Ezra was sensitive, sweet, funny, smart, and incredibly good looking. He was into old novels and listened to her problems without judgment. He had even followed her into a woman's restroom just to comfort her. Aria had felt so at home with him, in his arms and her head on his chest. It felt like that _spark _she always fought to feel when she was with Hayden, but came up empty. It was like the bus trip from Chicago to Rosewood was the universe bringing them together; like destiny and fate were on their side.

Plus, Aria could not deny what she had felt when Ezra kissed her. She rose her hand to her mouth and rested it there, whispering, "Fireworks."

After regaining her composure, Aria went to her and Hayden's hotel room. She inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. Hayden was watching TV, already in bed. His shirt was slung over the back of a chair and his second tattoo was perfect visible on his copper brown left shoulder.

Hayden Antonio Garcia was raised in the projects of Chicago and he got mixed up with the wrong crowd at a young age; drugs, alcohol, girls, and fighting. He'd been in the hospital at least four times for fights that almost killed him; one gunshot wound, two severe head injuries, and being stabbed near a vital artery. When he sixteen, he finally decided to stop acting like a stupid kid and focus on school. He was the first of his family to graduate high school and then the first to go to college. He quickly became an astounding citizen of the community and now he worked with kids who came from the same background as he did. His tattoos were a reminder of how far he'd come since those troubling times, but also a ball and chain that would always be attached to his ankle.

Aria plopped and lied down beside him. He glanced over at her with half of a smile, "You alright? You were gone for a while. You look a little dazed."

_Come up with something that would excuse you for being gone for more than twenty minutes!, _"What? Oh, no. I'm fine." _No, I'm not. _She thought before continuing, "It's been a long day. I just need some sleep."

Her boyfriend nodded in understanding, "So, it has." His grin widened and he reached out his hand to gently brush a lock of her brunette hair behind her shoulder so then he'd have the ability to kiss her neck. He traced his lips teasingly down the thin surface of her skin before lingering on her collarbone, his long fingers playing with the hem of her shirt.

Goose bumps arose on Aria's skin. She and Hayden had had sex before and she had once thought it was the most thrilling adventure in her life. Now, as he was trying to turn her on, his touch felt foreign and uncomforting. His hands were so rough compared to Ezra's and his kisses were overwhelming, not sweet and loving. She cringed away from him, a shiver travel down her spine, "Hayden?"

"Mhmm?" He chuckled, his musky breath against her skin.

"Can we please not do this now?"

His caressing came to abrupt halt and he pulled away, his brown eyes narrowed, "Why? You usually love me kissing you like this. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

_Not as much as I love Ezra kissing me, _"I just don't want to right now, okay? Maybe when we get to Rosewood tomorrow, we-"

He raised a wiry eyebrow at her, his face questioning, "With your parents' right down the hall? Not to be mean, Ar, but you aren't the quietest-"

Aria interrupted him, her pinks flushing a very deep red, "We don't need to talk about this!"

Hayden laughed and shrugged, "Sweetheart, I'm just being honest." His voice was light and teasing, "What's up with you being so sensitive all of a sudden? We always laugh about stuff like this. Before the bus trip, you were all over me. Seriously, what's going on with you? You usually tell me everything."

Aria gave him a forced smile, stroking his cheek softly with her hand. She leaned in and kissed him. Her eyes shot open when, again, she realized that there was _nothing _there. She pulled away, still giving him a forced glimmer of happiness with a grin pulling at the corners of her lips, "Hayden, I told you already. I'm just _really _tired. I want to get some rest. Besides we have to get up by six tomorrow morning. I don't want to be pulling out the bull horn to get your lazy ass out of bed."

He sighed and nodded, "Fine. I guess we can find some way to sneak in some loving this weekend." He narrowed his brown eyes again, "Not to change the subject, but do you know what to happened to Ezra? When I said hi to him in the lobby earlier, he completely ignored me and walked away. Is he on PMS or something?"

Aria remembered Ezra's facial expression in the hotel lobby when she and Hayden were checking in. A bundle of anger, jealousy, hurt, and frustration. When her boyfriend had said hi to him, he just ignored him, picked up his satchel and walked to his room, his whole body tense. Now, after talking to him in his room, she knew that he was feeling the same things that she was; except he was _forcing _himself to do the right thing and stop his feelings in their tracks.

"Maybe he's just exhausted, too. After all those hours on the bus sitting next to us must have been tiring."

Hayden chuckled and nodded, his strong arms twining around her petite waist, pulling her close to him, "Well, he may have been annoyed by this little gal right here in my arms. You were sure talking off his ear about _To Kill a Mockingbird_."

"I had to prove that I was right!" Aria protested.

"You were and now that it's proof, you can talk to him about something else tomorrow. Though that debate was sure entertaining to listen to." His voice broke off for a minute.

She peered up into his eyes, tracing her finger down his jaw line, "What is it?"

He sighed deeply and then rushed to say, "The way you talked to him sounded like you were talking to someone you'd known more than just a couple of hours. It was like the way you spoke to him about an old book was the most important thing in the world." He shivered, "I got this vibe of sexual tension or something."

"Hayden, you don't need to worry. Ezra and I barely know each other. We were just making conversation to make the bus trip go faster. I am forever and always yours." She tried to say with the most loving tone that was possible for her to.

Hayden stroked her hair, kissing her temple sweetly, his hand finding hers, playing with her fingers, "I just worry about losing you. With my mess of a past and you being so beautiful, smart, and nearly perfect-"His rambling was halted when his girlfriend's lips met his with a quick kiss. He broke the embrace first, "I'm guessing that was you telling me not to fear about losing you."

"Exactly." _He can't ever find out about the kiss in the bar. He'd never forgive me for it. He loves me to death and I betrayed him by hooking up with a random guy in woman's restroom ,_"Now how about you stop pestering me with your protectiveness and get some sleep."

* * *

><p>Ezra hardly got any sleep that night. He just kept tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable place to lie. His mind was spinning and spiraling like a whirlwind. Had he made the right decision? Aria was acting like a kid, not the adult that he knew she was. She was forcing him to make this decision. And she wasn't making it any easier.<p>

He was one of the first people to board the bus the next morning. He quickly sat in the same seat as yesterday, determined to not allow Aria to think that he was avoiding her because of what happened last night. It would be hard sitting beside for another four to six hours, but he would do whatever he could to convince himself that he made the right decision; no matter how much it tore himself inside.

Aria and Hayden boarded the bus shortly after he did. When Ezra and Aria's gazes locked, he averted his eyes ever so slightly so then Hayden wouldn't notice the tension between them. He smiled up at the couple as they approached their seats beside his, "Good morning, lovebirds. How did you sleep?"

Hayden opened his mouth to speak, but Aria cut him off, "We got so little sleep. We were a bit busy doing something else." Her hard hazel gaze bored into his blue one, "I hope we didn't keep you up last night. Sometimes we can get _really _loud."

Hayden's cheeks flamed scarlet red and he whispered something in his girlfriend's ear. She shook her head stubbornly and he shrugged with a sigh, "We slept well. How about you?"

Just the thought of her in bed with Hayden made Ezra's stomach overturn. Jealousy and anger tore through his body, but he couldn't let Aria see that. He forced half a grin on his face before responding, "I slept fine."

"That's good." He gave Ezra a small smile before sitting in the aisle seat again. Aria remained standing, her eyes still shooting holes into Ezra's forehead. Her boyfriend looked up at her, confusion clear in his features, "Aria, sweetheart, aren't you going to sit down?" He patted the empty seat between him and Ezra, "It's waiting for your sexy ass to warm it up."

"Could we possibly switch seats?"

Hayden glanced at Ezra and then back up at Aria, "Why?"

Aria shrugged like she didn't know, but he knew that she did, so Ezra also piped up, "Yeah, Aria. I don't bite." He chuckled before saying, "Unless you're into that. Then I'd be happy to." He raised his gaze to meet hers again and he gave her a small teasing smile before dropping his eyes once more.

Hayden laughed along with him, "Come on, Aria. We're about to leave and it's only another five hours before we arrive in Phillie. Plus, you said something you wanted to talk to Ezra about. Remember? I think you said that movie _It Happened One Night _you thought he may like."

He nodded, "One of my favorites."

"Really? It's one of Aria's, too. I can't believe how perfect you two are together. It's crazy." When Hayden said those words, their eyes immediately locked again. Aria's posture screamed how uncomfortable she was with the statement and Ezra hoped that Hayden would not notice the severe tension between the two of them.

She sighed but slowly nodded, squeezing passed her boyfriend's legs and plopping down in the seat between the two men. Her hand brushed against Ezra's as she rested her arm on the armrest.

Almost immediately, the touch of her skin sent a rush of sparks through his body and he quickly pulled his hand away before Hayden saw. Aria did the same, pulling her knees up into her chest, hugging them there. She rested her cheek on one of them and looked at Ezra, mouthing the words, "_Why are you doing this?_" He responded with a shrug of his shoulders, facing the window again.

Hayden switched his big brown eyes from his girlfriend to Ezra then back again, "What's up with you two? Yesterday, you talked my ear off from the time Ezra got on the bus to when we got to Snookers. Go ahead and talk it up. I'm going to listen to some music." He put in his earphones, pulled out his iPhone and began to play Temple Run.

As soon as she heard rap music blaring inside Hayden's ears, sure that he could not hear her words, Aria finally spoke directly to Ezra, "Why are you doing this to me? To yourself? You were very clear last night what you didn't want."

Ezra sighed and met her eyes again, fighting not to untense his muscles and give her the satisfaction that his anger was falling each moment that he kept staring at her beautiful face, "Aria, let's just drop this. I'm just glad it ended before one of us got seriously hurt."

"Too late for that." Aria muttered under her breath, glancing over at her boyfriend before continuing, "I don't know why you want to torture both of us like this."

"Because, first of all, Hayden would know that something is up between us. Then there is the fact that there are no other bus seats besides the one that I am sitting in right now." He gave her a sad smile, "I don't know what is going on between us, Aria and as much as I want to find out what that is, you have a boyfriend and I know you love him." His voice turned sour, "You made that perfectly clear a couple of minutes ago."

"Ezra, I-"

"Just drop this!" Ezra's voice rose a tad bit and he cursed himself as Aria flinched away from him. He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry."

"So am I." She turned away, her eyes staring at something that wasn't him.

He sighed, turning his attention to watch the passing landscape as the bus started to roll down the highway. He knew he'd screwed up big time. _What else was I supposed to say? It's not like I can confess my feelings for her right now. I don't even know what these feelings are. All I am able to understand is that I am falling for this amazing girl and I don't want to fight it anymore. _He blinked in surprise at his thoughts, watching rain beginning to fall from the gloomy gray sky, _Am I really going to fight for her? Am I going to really be _that _selfish and make her choose between her boyfriend of two years and me, a guy she has only known for barely a day?_ He inhaled deeply, slowly exhaling it as he tried to sort his whirling thoughts, _I better think this through before causing even more damage than I already have._

* * *

><p>Five long hours later, they finally arrived in Philadelphia. The whole rest of the bus trip, Ezra and Aria avoided any type of physical or verbal contact. They avoided eye contact and as soon as the bus pulled into the station, Ezra snatched up his satchel and two suitcases, hurrying off the bus without looking back over his should.<p>

Hayden looked after him, his eyes narrowed, "What's going on with him? Is he bipolar or something?"

"Or something would work."

"Are you sure there isn't weird something going on between you guys? You were quiet the whole way here and you looked like you were going to cry." He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as they stood from their seats, "Did he say something to you that made you upset?"

"We just didn't agree on a plot of a book." Aria lied.

Her boyfriend shook her head, "You wouldn't be this upset over something like that."

She looked at him, "It's just something we didn't agree on, okay? Let's just leave it alone. It's not like we'll be seeing him again anyway."

Hayden sighed, but nodded, not wanting to get into an argument with her, "That is a good point." He kissed her forehead, lips lingering for a moment before pulling away, "Let's get our things and then we can go see who is waiting for us."

The couple gathered up their luggage and thanked the bus driver before exiting the bus. Aria saw Ezra waiting for someone, his eyes narrowed against the rain. The drops of water rolled down his face, his cheeks flushed pink against the cold. He must have realized that he was being watched because he glanced her way. He gave her and Hayden a tight smile before averting his dark blue eyes once more.

"Ezra!" A voice rang through the cold air and Aria watched as a little girl, around the age of two or three, running towards Ezra, her small rain boots splashing water everywhere from the shallow puddles. Ezra broke out into a beaming grin, dropping his bags and picking up the little girl and twirling her around in a circle, his face pressed into her hair before giving her a fat kiss on the cheek.

A young, not to mention beautiful, woman followed the little girl, her auburn brown hair soaked even though she had an umbrella. She must have been the one who had called Ezra's name because he said something to her and then hugged her with the arm that wasn't holding the toddler.

Jealousy soared through Aria seeing him with that woman and with the child. His face was so bright with enthusiasm and adoration it made her stomach hurt, "He didn't mention he was married."

Hayden glanced her way, "I didn't know it was any of our concern." He shivered, "Maybe we should go inside and try to find your friends. I'm freezing my ass off out here."

"Yeah. Of course we can. Can I just go and say goodbye to Ezra first? I mean, this is the last time we'll probably see him and I want to sort this out now."

Her boyfriend nodded, "I'm glad you had a change of heart. I'll wait inside for you." He gave her a small kiss before picking up their bags and heading towards the doors of inside the station.

Aria took a deep breath and began to head in Ezra's direction. He was still talking to the light brown haired woman and the little girl. She heard a bit of the conversation as she approached, "….I am so happy to see you two. I have crazy missed you."

The little girl hugged Ezra's leg, "I mwissed wou the mwost."

"Is that the case, Emma?" He ruffled her short hair gently with his hand before finally noticing that Aria was drawing nearer. He turned to his lady friend and said, "I'll be right back, Natalie. Go inside and wait for me there."

Natalie nodded and took Emma into one of her arms, balancing the toddler on her hip, her umbrella in her other hand, "We'll be inside then." She locked eyes on Aria and gave her a polite nod before heading indoors.

Ezra turned to her and smiled at her tenderly, "Hey there." He chuckled with a nervous tone, "Did you see all that?"

"Yeah, I did."

"And?" He stepped closer to her, his musky breath in her nostrils.

"I was just honestly wondering why you would ever do that to your wife and your daughter? Kissing me in the bar and then making it seem like you have genuine feelings for me? I mean, it's pretty obvious that everything you said to me in the past twenty-four hours was a lie."

His jaw dropped, his mouth agape in surprise, "Aria, Natalie and Emma aren't my-"

"Just forget it, Ezra! Forget everything that has happened between us. I'll be with Hayden and you go off to your new job at Hollis and be with your family." She raised her voice at him.

"Aria, please-"

"Forget it!" She turned away from him, wiping away the new tears forming in her eyes from her face, "Forget all of it."

* * *

><p>Kenneth tossed Ezra the keys to his Toyota Camry as he approached his older brother, "There you are. Oil changed, inside vacuumed, and the paint job waxed. It is all Ezra-proofed." He laughed and gave his younger brother a hug, "Glad to see you again, little brother. How was the rest of the bus trip?"<p>

Ezra shrugged, "Long. I'm just glad that it's over and done with." As he spoke, he watched as Aria walked out of the bus station with Hayden and three girls. She seemed to be forcing a smile and when she saw Ezra, she immediately got as far away from as she possibly could.

Kenneth followed his gaze and nodded with understanding, "Is that one of the couple of hot girls on the bus? Man, she is smoking hot. Why didn't you ask her out?"

"It's complicated, Ken. Just leave it be. Besides, I hardly even know her."

His older brother shrugged, "Don't let a few complications and the fact that you don't really know her. If you like her and she likes you, what else matters?"

Ezra rolled his eyes as he threw his bags into the trunk of his car, "Ken, she has a boyfriend and she isn't looking to leave him for me, or any other guy. She loves him." He looked at Aria across the parking lot again, his heart longing for her touch again, her lips on his, her fingers knotted in his dark brown curls, her body cemented so closely to his that no one slip a magazine between them.

"I see the way you're looking at her, Ez. If you want her, fight for her."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Kenneth. She saw Emma and Natalie with me when we got off the bus. And now she thinks that I am married and have a family."

"Did you explain to her that they are your older brother's wife and daughter?"

"She wouldn't give me the chance."

Kenneth thought for a moment and then his dark green eyes lit up with an idea, "Did she borrow anything from you on the trip?"

"She read my special copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird…._which she never gave back." Ezra's heart bounced and he looked at his brother with a risen eyebrow, "You are an evil genius, you know that, right?"

He shrugged, "Go get that book from her. Find a way to get her alone and tell her the truth."

His older brother couldn't even finish his sentence before Ezra slammed the trunk shut and headed in Aria's direction. Her friends must have left already and Hayden must have gone inside for something because she was now just leaning against a car. When she saw him coming her way, she glanced around, trying to find a way out of the situation. It was too late, though.

"Hey, Aria. I was wondering if I could get my book back." He asked with a light tone, even though his heart was racing a thousand miles per minute. She sighed and nodded, reaching into her bag, fishing for the novel. Ezra took this opportunity as his only chance to prove to her that he wasn't lying about Emma and Natalie, "That woman isn't my wife, Aria."

"Don't start this again, Ezra." She muttered, still looking for the book.

"I'm not trying to start anything. Natalie is my brother's wife and Emma is his daughter. I will show you the Christmas card they sent me from last year."

Aria finally met his eyes, holding Harper Lee's greatest piece of work out to him, "Just take the book and forget about me."

"No. Not until you hear me out and listen to what I have to say." He stepped closer to her, closing the distance between them. He reached into his back pocket, fetching his old wallet. He flipped it open and pulled out a picture of Kenneth, Natalie, and Emma from almost a year ago. He showed the photo to Aria, "See now that I wasn't lying?"

Aria's mouth dropped in shock, "I'm so sorry I wouldn't listen to you. I guess when I saw you with them, I was jealous." She laughed darkly, "I guess that's how you've been feeling for the past few hours, haven't you?"

He gave her a small smile, "I don't know what I feel worse about; having to stay away from you or being a jerk about it."

She sighed, "It was definitely hard for me to sit beside you today when you would barely even look at me."

"I'm sorry."

"For not talking to me or for being a jerk?"

"Both."

She finally cracked a smile, "Thank you. It makes me feel so much better about saying goodbye to you today knowing we are at least ending on somewhat of a good note." She took a deep breath before looking deep into his dark blue eyes, "I would never want to do anything that would make you seem like you were forcing me to make a choice."

He gave another tight smile, not knowing what to say. After a long moment, she stretched up and pressed her lips to his cheek before he could even think. She separated herself from almost immediately and slipping his book into the pocket of his jacket, "Goodbye, Ezra."

He started to turn away but his mind screamed at him, _This could be your only chance! _He whipped back around, taking a step closer to Aria, ducking his head and pressing his lips roughly to hers, leaning her up against the car. Aria's body untense and she knotted her fingers into his hair. His tongue traced her bottom lip, causing a sense of thrill to go through him.

After a few moments, they finally pulled away from one another. Ezra pressed one last kiss to her soft lips before just looking down at her with lustful blue eyes. She smiled sweetly up at him, brushing a loose lock of his wet curly hair back into place.

He whispered a hushed, "Goodbye, Aria." Ezra finally willed himself to walk away from her, glancing over his shoulder at her, heading in the direction of his brother. She watched him walk away and gave him a tiny wave and he waved back quickly.

When Ezra finally managed to reach his Camry, Kenneth was grinning like a moron. He gave his older brother a warning glance, "If you say one word…"

"So, did you get the book back?"

**Wow that was a long chapter! Almost 5000 words. The longest one of this story that I have written yet. It's coming along so well and I really hope you guys are enjoying it as it progresses. I'd be thrilled to hear your feedback on what you think. A new chapter for Double Infinity either tomorrow or Monday and then If I Knew Then should be updated sometime again this next week. See you guys then!**


	6. Knocks on Your Door

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 6**

**Knocks on Your Door **

* * *

><p><em>Love only comes<em>

_Once in a while_

_Knocks on your door_

_And throws you a smile_

* * *

><p><em>What in the hell just happened? <em>Aria asked herself as she watched Ezra walk back to his car. His touch had left more than just a damp feeling from the late afternoon rain on her skin; he left a pleasurable sting on every single part of her body.

He turned back toward her with a glance over his shoulder. She threw him a flirtatious smile and a tiny wave. His boyish grin flashed across his face and he waved back before turning to his brother, who was waiting near his car.

As soon as Ezra and his brother left the parking lot, Aria's three best friends, Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, and Emily Fields, came back out from the bus station where they had been using the restroom. They were all wide-eyed as they gazed at her. She gave them a raise of her eyebrows, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hanna shook her head in confusion, her blonde hair bouncing at the sides of her face, "Okay, either our eyesight is failing at twenty-two or we just saw you kiss that guy." She pursed her lips and eyed her friend harshly, "Would you like to explain?"

"Um-"

Spencer's voice interrupted her, "Or maybe tell us why you were just shoving your tongue down a guy's throat that wasn't Hayden?"

"Well, I can explain-"

"How could you do that to Hayden, Aria? I mean, I know he can be a bit overbearing at times, but you have been dating him for two years. I thought you loved him." Emily finally piped up, her jet black hair glistening with drying raindrops.

"Will you guys please let me talk?" Aria's voice rose and the other girls fell silent, still giving her rude and judgmental looks. She took a deep breath and began to explain, "The guy you just saw me kiss was Ezra. Ezra Fitz. We sat next to one another on the bus trip for the past twenty four hours."

Hanna rolled her eyes and snarkily said, "Not really helping your case out here, Ar."

"Just shut up and let me tell the story, okay, Hanna?" Aria replied in annoyance. "Anyways, I felt like there was something very special between us. And when our hands brushed against each other's when he was handing me a book," She shivered as she remembered the sparks that she had felt when her and Ezra's skin had brushed for the first time, "it felt like the universe was bringing us together. Like the bus trip was destiny mashing us together." She took in another breath before continuing, "When we stopped at a pub in Cleveland last night, Hayden got drunk and said things that made me upset. Ezra was there to comfort me."

Emily asked, her face softening from disappointment to curiosity, "What happened next?"

"He said that he didn't want to come between Hayden and I. He seemed determined to not feel anything for me, but obviously that is not the case."

Hanna sighed, running her hand through her blonde hair, "Hayden said things that made you upset? What did he do now?" Unlike the rest of the girls, she had quite an opinion of Hayden that was not the nicest. She thought that Aria was making a bad decision dating a former gangbanger who used to be addicted to drugs. She wanted her friend to find a nice guy that came from a pleasant background.

"Some not so nice things about you three and my family. He apologized for it now, but at the moment, I didn't even recognize my boyfriend."

Spencer shook her head, "I thought that he was past that drinking thing by now. Why was he even near alcohol?" The med student looked at Aria in the eyes for the first time in the whole conversation, "So, Ezra was there for you when Hayden wasn't even though he'd only known you for a day? How was he there for you exactly?"

She smiled softly as she remembered when Ezra followed her into that bar bathroom, "He followed me to where I was crying and gave me a hug. Then…" She pressed her hand to her lips, "Then that was when he kissed me for the first time."

Emily narrowed her brown eyes, a teasing smile pulling at the corners of her lips, "So, was the kiss good?"

That's when Hayden started walking up and the four best friends hadn't even noticed. He looked at all the girls, his backpack swinging from one of his shoulders, spiky dark blonde hair glistening with rain, "What kiss?"

Aria forced herself to strode over to him and press a firm kiss to his lips. They felt so hard and firm compared to Ezra's, which were extremely soft and sweet like the petal of a rose, "That kiss, sweetheart. We better be off to my parent's house then!"

"I'm still driving Emily's car there, right? Just so you girls can catch up?"

Hanna nodded and started to grab Aria's suitcases and stuff them in the back of her Volvo, "Yes, you are. Now, go. You have had Aria all too yourself for the past three days. Its time for us to spend time with her." The blonde snuck a glance at her friend, looking at her up and down before imploringly saying, a mischievous smile on her lips, "After all, we have _a lot _to catch up on."

* * *

><p>Kenneth inserted the key into the lock of the doorknob of his old apartment. Or Ezra's <em>new <em>apartment. It was just as his brother said; small, quiet, and just what he needed. A queen sized bed was stuffed in the northeast corner and a long brown leather couch filled the living room. A computer desk sat against a wall and a couple of wooden bookshelves took place beside it.

Ezra dropped his bags on the couch, looking around his new home, "Still looks the same as it was when I came to visit you when you were taking classes at Hollis."

Kenneth nodded, "I haven't had a whole lot of time to be refurnishing an old place where I spent most of nights, crammed into that tiny bed with my pregnant wife."

"Touché." Ezra ran his hand down the quilt of the bed and smiled softly, "Did Mom give you these?" The bedspread had been Ezra's when he was a teenager. He'd left them behind when he went abroad and his mother had been bugging him to come and get them when he got a place of his own.

"As soon as I told her that you were moving in here to this apartment, she practically threw them at me." Kenneth chuckled and then sighed deeply, running his hand through his dark hair, "I know you are twenty five and you probably don't need to be reminded of the rules of this place."

_How did I know that he would do this? _Ezra nodded in understanding, "I know the rules, Ken-"

His older brother cut him off, "Well, I am going to remind you of them. I don't want drugs in here. I don't want any alcohol stronger than scotch in here. I don't want to get any calls from home maintenance at three in the morning that they had to fix a bunch of crap because you threw a wild party. And no girls are allowed here after a certain time."

"Ken!"

"Those are my rules, little brother." His brother shrugged, "The girls rule was actually Natalie's and Mom's. I would love for you to finally get some action, but they don't want any girls here after one. Not even that cute little brunette that you were giving tongue earlier."

Ezra's cheeks flushed red, "If those are the rules, I will abide by them. But, Ken, I can't get any real action before one." The two brothers shared a crackling laugh before his cell phone rang.

Kenneth slapped his brother's shoulder before heading out of the apartment, "Go ahead and settle in. I'll be back tomorrow to drop off more stuff." The twenty eight year old exited and closed the door loudly behind him.

Ezra flipped his phone out and glanced at the Caller ID. It was Byron Montgomery, the man who'd gotten him the job at Hollis College. He was also Aria's father. His heart began to hammer as he pressed the receiver to his ear and answered, "Hello?"

"_Ezra! I was expecting to get your voice mail. Have you made it to Philadelphia yet?"_

"I am actually staying in Rosewood now. My brother's guestroom had a meltdown of some sort and he gave me his old apartment in Rosewood until he gets a plumber over there." He cleared his throat. Professor Montgomery had been that one teacher that everyone in his class loved. He was funny, understanding, and he got the job of teaching done in a fun way, "So, what can I do for you?"

"_Well, my daughter just arrived home from Chicago and we are throwing a small dinner for her to welcome her back to Rosewood. Then I thought if you didn't have any plans with your family or any old friends that you'd like to stop by."_

Ezra's mind immediately flew to the reaction that he would gather from Aria when she would see him, "I wouldn't want to impose-"

"_You wouldn't be imposing, Ezra. You'd be our honored guest." _The professor's voice soured, "_Besides that ass of a boyfriend that is my daughter's boyfriend."_

He couldn't help, but laugh at that because he very much agreed with the statement, "You don't approve of her relationship."

"_Let's just say when I first met him last year, I was not the happiest person on the planet. He doesn't come from a good background and he has tattoos on his arms and piercings in his ears. I don't know why that elementary school ever hired him."_

"Is that so?" Ezra knew that Hayden was a punk the moment he laid eyes on him, "Does Aria know how you feel about him?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the call before Byron finally asked, "_I don't remember telling you my daughter's name."_

_Crap. _Ezra thought as he silently cursed himself, "Well, I remember you mentioning her name when I was still at Hollis. You said that you had a sixteen year old daughter named Aria and a son named Mike. He has to be about twenty now, right?"

"_I guess I did mention that, didn't I? Oh, that was so long ago. Aria is living in Chicago now and Mike is off at Penn State on a lacrosse scholarship. You don't really know how fast time flies until you have children, Ezra. Just remember those words and you will always cherish the moments you had while you were a bachelor."Byron sighed and then continued, "So, should we set you a place for dinner?"_

Ezra's mind was already on Aria, her beautiful face with her brunette hair falling like a waterfall around it. Her hazel eyes shining at him, her pink lips breathing heavily in his ear….He felt something inside him flutter and he cleared his throat again before responding to Mr. Montgomery, "Yeah, I'll be there."

* * *

><p>The doorbell rang just as Aria sat in the cushioned chair that Hayden was holding out for her. She looked over at her mother, Ella, who was placing the last place mat on the table and asked, "Who is that extra place for? Is Mike coming home tonight?"<p>

Ella shook her head, "He won't be home until tomorrow afternoon. I think that's the new fellow that your father hired at Hollis. He said that this guy just moved all the way down here from Ohio to work at Hollis and since he is a bachelor and probably living on TV dinners, Byron and I both thought that we would invite him to do dinner."

Hayden shrugged and sat down beside Aria, watching her every move, "Ar, are you okay? You look kind of pale."

_Moving down from Ohio. Working at Hollis. A bachelor. Please no, please don't let it be true. _Aria's thoughts began to fly around as she put all of the information together in her head and she was unable to control the raging emotions running up and down her body, "Y-yeah I'm fine."

Her mother shook her head all in good humor, "Aria, you are so silly sometimes. I think all that Chicago air is getting to your head. " She giggled and went into the kitchen to fetch the last of the food.

Byron walked from the direction of the front door and Ezra followed right behind him His eyes instantly locked with hers and his curly dark brown hair fell over his forehead. He wore a simple black t-shirt that clung nicely to his muscular yet lanky torso and a pair of dark blue jeans. His face was freshly shaven and his smile was bright as he gazed down at her.

Hayden looked up at Ezra in surprise, "Ezra? I didn't think that we'd be seeing each other again."

"Nor did I, Hayden." There was a hard edge to his voice as Ezra responded, "I'm just thankful that Byron and Ella were so willing to invite me." He turned back to Aria, his grin reappearing, "Hello, Aria."

"Hi, Ezra." She returned his smile with one of her own.

Byron watched this whole interaction with his eyes narrowed, "I didn't realize that you three knew one another."

Ezra quickly spoke before Hayden or Aria had a chance, "We rode on the same bus together. I hopped on in Cincinnati and the window seat beside them was the only seat open. So we enjoyed one another's company for a while." He met Aria's gaze again, his dark sapphire eyes glistening with mischief and affection.

There was an awkward silence in the room until Ella came back out of the kitchen and announced that it was time for dinner. She turned to Ezra and said, "You can beside Aria if you'd like."

"Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery. I'm Ezra, by the way."

"I know. My husband won't shut up about you and how having such a promising young man in the English department is good for the school." Ella shook her head in friendly teasing in the direction of her husband, "And please call me Ella."

"Okay, Ella." He gave her a flash of his beautiful white teeth before quietly sitting in the chair beside Aria's, his hand brushing against her thigh.

Pleasure and nervousness rushed through her body and she couldn't help but feel sorry when he pulled his hand away, his jaw clenching and cheeks flushing a light blush. She felt her own cheeks beginning to feel the heat of red patches and she ducked her head on her long brunette hair.

_This is going to be a very long night. _She thought as her parents and sat down and they began to dig into the food.

* * *

><p>Ezra excused himself after he was finished eating dinner to go upstairs to use the bathroom. He used the restroom, washed his hands and was just about to head back downstairs when a certain bedroom caught his eye. It was open and he recognized Aria's suitcases lying on the floor. <em>This must be her room. <em>He glanced around before poking his head in, his hands running down the door frame.

The bedroom just screamed Aria at him. The walls were painted dark cream paint and covered in a few pictures of family and friends. He stepped in closer and saw a small pile of books by a small window bench which was right near the bed.

A voice behind Ezra startled him, "Like what you see?" He whipped around to see Aria standing there, leaning against the door way, her small arms crossed across her chest, "If you want a full tour, I could give you one." Her voice was light, teasing, and coated with sedation.

Ezra willed himself not to moan in pleasure, "As long as you're my tour guide, I'll take that visit." He stepped closer to her, taking one of her hands in his, pulling her into him.

Aria quietly closed the door with her free hand and as soon as she was sure it was secure, she attacked Ezra's lips with her own, her fingers curling into the waviness of his hair. He held her close to him, cementing her to his body. _She's so tiny, so fragile. But she seems even stronger than I am. I'm more worried about her breaking me than the other way around._

Kissing Aria was like feeling that was all that mattered in the world. She was the only thing on his mind. Her smell, her eyes, her lips, her body….._Everything _about her called him to her like a vampire to blood.

As soon as their lips separated after a minute and a half of making out like hormonally driven rabbits, Aria shoved one of loose curls back into place with the rest of his hair, "We better be getting back before they realize that we've been gone for far too long."

After placing one last kiss to her lips, he opened the door for her and followed her back downstairs where her parents, Hayden, and three girls, introduced to him as Emily, Spencer, and Hanna, awaited them. Aria went to go sit with Hayden on the loveseat, much to Ezra's displeasure.

The blonde, Hanna, eyed him with curiosity in her narrowed dark eyes. She was dressed in brand name clothes and expensive diamond earrings dangled from her ears. The other girls, Emily and Spencer, were dressed more casual. Spencer was obviously the smartest one of the four because she wore a pair of reading glasses and was dressed in something that Ezra recognized from doctors in pre-med at Hollis, her brown hair rolled up into a neat bun. Emily just wore a simple t-shirt and jeans, her jet black hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. By the way that they were eying him, Ezra knew that Aria must have told them about what happened on the bus trip.

Hayden cleared his throat and stood to his feet, nervously running his hand through his spiky blonde hair. He turned to Aria with love shining in his big dark brown saucers that he called eyes, "I've been planning this for a while now. I didn't know when the right time would be, but then I realized that I wanted to do this while here with your parents and three best friends."

Aria looked at him with confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Her boyfriend snuck a glance at Ezra and winked at him before turning back to Aria. Ezra clenched his jaw and his fists. That's when he remembered the conversation they had had on the bus just the morning before.

_Hayden took a deep breath and reached into his jacket pocket, taking out a small velvet box, flipping it open to reveal a small diamond engagement ring, "I want to propose to Aria when we get to Rosewood, in front of her family and friends. I don't know if she's ready to get married yet, though. She and I have only been dating barely two years. I'm sure for my feelings for her, but can you tell if she's ready or not?"_

"_I don't know, Hayden. I haven't really known you guys very long, so…"_

"_Oh okay." Hayden sighed before continuing, "She's just so perfect! She's smart, beautiful, and good with kids! She is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."_

"_Listen, man," Ezra was just going to be honest with him. He wanted Aria to be happy, after all, "If you really do love and care about Aria, don't let anything or anyone stop you. So what if she says no because she's not ready? You'll still have the ring and she'll still be your girlfriend."_

How could he have been so _stupid _to encourage him to propose to the woman who he was falling for? _Please not after what just happened in the bedroom. Please not now! _Ezra just wanted to scream, but he couldn't and it was killing him inside.

Hayden pulled out the velvet box and got down on one knee. Six gasps sounded throughout the room from Aria's parents, her friends, and from Aria herself as he proclaimed to her, "Aria Montgomery, you and I have known one another for two years now. I am a total mess and you fix me. I say stupid things, but you teach me not to worry. I love you and you love me back. I don't want to be with anyone but you. Will you marry me?"

That was when Aria and Ezra's gazes locked. All that had happened between them in the past thirty two hours meant nothing anymore. She was going to say yes and she was going to marry Hayden. He could see it in her eyes. His heart shattered inside of his chest like a million pieces of glass and he stared up at the ceiling against the dim lighting so then no one could tell how upset he really was.

Aria finally turned back to Hayden, her own tears welling up in her eyes and spilling over her cheeks, her lips wobbling a shaky smile as she answered him, "Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes!"

Hayden slipped the ring on his now fiancées finger and wrapped her up in a tight hug. From over his shoulder, Aria met Ezra's gaze again. He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet, "I think I've imposed enough this evening. Thank you for dinner, Ella. Byron, I'll see you at work." He politely said before turning to Aria's friends, "It was nice meeting you girls." His eyes swiveled to Aria and Hayden again, thorns tearing up the walls of his throat as he added, "Congratulations on your engagement. I'll see you around then."

"Ezra, wait-"Ella piped up. But it was already too late, Ezra was out the front door before she could say anything more to him.

Aria must have made some excuse to go outside because she followed him, "What do you want me to say, Ezra?"

He clasped the handle to his Camry, his fingers tightening around the handle, "I don't know, Aria! I don't even know what to say!" He glared at her and the new ring on her finger, "What does it matter anyway? You're getting married! There is nothing left to be said between us."

"You know that that's not true."

Ezra heaved a heavy breath and finally looked at her in the eye, "Why are you toying with me like this? This isn't _The Notebook_! I'm not going to be the guy you had feelings for and then decided to go off and get engaged with another guy. I'm not going to be Noah and you aren't going to be Allie. Just go marry Hayden and make beautiful babies and live happily ever after. I have my own fairytale to write." He swung his door open and climbed into the cab of his car, slamming it behind him. He drove away without anything more than a glance at Aria's tear streaked face in his rear-view mirror.

**Another extremely long chapter and it was all worth it. I think this fanfic is coming along way better than I originally planned. What can I say, it's a tragic love story, but by the time the ending comes, you guys will be happy that it was this heart breaking in the beginning. It's all going to build up and turn out beautiful. **

**Don't forget to drop word on how you liked it and leave any suggestions you may have. I am always open for them!**

**I would also like to include a shoutout to one of my besties, Paige. Love you girly! Happy Birthday! **


	7. Throws You a Smile

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 7**

**Throws You a Smile**

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><p><em>Love only comes<em>

_Once and a while_

_Knocks on your door_

_And throws you a smile_

* * *

><p>A break-up is never easy on anybody. You give a big chunk of your heart to someone and then things are over, part of you is gone for a very long time; perhaps even the rest of your life.<p>

That's how Aria felt after Ezra ended their short-term affair right after Hayden proposed to hers. It was a dull, numbing, and overwhelming pain that was a thorn in her chest that was far too large to be removed. And they'd only had just over twenty-four hours together. So, why did it feel like they'd been together half of Aria's life?

Three months passed since she last saw him. She and Hayden went back to Chicago after long conversations with her family and friends when, where, and how the wedding would be drawn out. They chose the date: February 14th. That was the day they met at a faculty party for the elementary school they both worked at on Valentine's Day, where Hayden finally worked up the nerve to speak to her. The wedding ceremony would be at the small church in Rosewood; only family and close friends were to be invited.

The now engaged couple went back to Chicago after their long Thanksgiving weekend. Hayden got busy with coaching his team as they prepared for their first game of the season and Aria got tied up with all the wedding planning as well as teaching her first grade students.

One evening in the beginning of December, Aria was just finishing correcting some of the alphabet worksheets she had the kids do when a buzz came from her cell phone on the desk of her apartment. She looked at the caller ID and saw Hayden's name. She smiled and answered the call, "Hey, Hayden."

"_Hey, beautiful. What are you up to?" _

"Just grading some papers. I am just finishing up. I was thinking about ordering Chinese tonight. What time do you want to come over to my apartment so we can plan when to go shopping for your tux?"

"_I was actually calling to tell you that I'm not going to be able come over tonight. I got wrapped up with….something with one of the guy's moms. A little disagreement we have to work out before I can head home."_

She sighed, "I guess that's alright. I'll miss you though."

_"I'll miss you, too, babe. I'm sorry. I know I promised I'd be there. Tomorrow, I cross my heart." _ There was a faint ruffling in the background and Aria thought she heard a woman's voice. It wasn't business like either. It didn't sound like it was about a third grade basketball player. It seemed almost flirtatious and seductive.

Suspicion planted in the pit of Aria's very core. She glanced up at the clock which hung from the southwest wall of her small apartment. _It's almost five. The team's practice ended over an hour ago. If one of the boy's moms wanted to talk to him, she'd probably done by now. _She knew what was going on. It's not like it was the first time she'd ever been cheated on. She just thought that Hayden would be different. Anger and heartbreak mixed together in a large caldron of despair as she remembered to say, "I'll see you later."

"_Is everything alright? You sound a little…distracted."_

_I can't let him know that I heard that woman. Act cool, Aria, act cool. _"I'm fine. It's just been a long day."

"_I hear that. Well, I'll let you go then. I love you."_

"Mhmm. I love you, too." The words dug into her throat like thorns and she hung ended the call without another word. She should feel heartbroken right? She would want to hurt that woman who stole her man from her. Then why was _relief _washing over her like a tidal wave?

If Hayden were to go anywhere to cheat on her, it'd be his apartment.

And Aria had just the key to get the proof she needed to finally end things with him.

Then once and for all return to Ezra's arms.

_I'll be home to you soon, Ezra._

* * *

><p>Ezra rubbed his eyes of the exhaustion that was threatening to overwhelm him. Who knew that being an English professor would be so damn hard? He was only halfway done grading over thirty essays and they had to be all done by tomorrow morning.<p>

He shoved away from his desk and went to the small kitchen of his apartment, pouring himself a glass of his favorite type of scotch. At least his new home was hospitable to him. Kenneth stopped by the other day to drop off more books and blankets from their mother. And he rather enjoyed the independence of living in the old place. Sure there were all of those annoying rules of his brother's, but he was making do with what he had.

His cell phone rang from his desk and Ezra rushed over to answer. It was an unknown number and the butterflies in his stomach immediately told him that this call was from someone he'd forced himself not to think about for the last three months. _Aria. _

Ever since he drove away that night, he made her the last thing on his mind. Or at least he tried to. He could still remember her touch, her scent, the taste of strawberries on her lips….He had to stop himself from longing all of those things again. He would tell himself, _She's getting married. It was over before it even started. _Ezra just couldn't shake the image of her tear-streaked face out of his mind. It stuck with him like a computer virus or a parasite to its host.

He took a deep breath and calmly but cautiously answered, "Hello?"

_"Ezra!" _Her voice washed over him like the waves crashing on to the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. Instantly, the memories washed over him again and a lump the size of an elephant formed in his throat.

He hesitated before responding to her, "You shouldn't be calling here." _Dammit, Aria! Just let me go already!_

"I know." _She'd been crying. _Her voice was hoarse and tear-stricken, shaky as she continued, "I really just needed to hear your voice-"

Ezra smiled sadly and ran his hand nervously through his curly black hair, his dark blue eyes beginning to form his own tears, threatening to spill over the corners of his eyelids, "I know." He took in an unstable breath as he continued, "Me too." The next thing he said scarred him so deeply, his heart literally shattered, just like it had when Hayden had proposed to her, "But you can't call me anymore."

He heard Aria take in a sharp intake of breath and before she could say anything else, he quickly shut his phone shut. He threw it onto his desk and then plopped down onto the computer chair. A single tear rolled down his stubby cheek.

_I'm her Noah and she's my Allie. _

**A short and sad chapter for all of you guys. Sorry for the lack of updates for this past week. I planned on updating Tuesday, but then I lost the file. Then yesterday when I planned on updating, I fell asleep and took a three hour nap. So, this should tide you guys over until I update on Saturday, right? **

**Thank you guys for all of your support and reviews for the last chapter. I know it's really sad and I am promising you yet again that it's only going to go uphill. Chapter 8 is gonna be all worth it. Hint: Be prepared to experience the scene in 103 in a whole new way.**


	8. Takes Every Breath and Leaves Every Scar

**If I Knew Then Chapter 8**

**Takes Every Breath and Leaves Every Scar**

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><p><em>Takes every breath<em>

_Leaves every scar_

_It speaks to your soul_

_And sings to your heart_

* * *

><p>The hot summer air hit Aria like a blow to a stomach as she reluctantly climbed out of her air conditioned car, the humidity clamming heavily on her late July tanned skin, causing a sheen of sweat to appear on the thin surface. She slipped her freshly cut, still reasonably long, brunette hair into a neat ponytail as she headed into her parent's house in a rather quick paced manner to get out of the flaming humidity.<p>

It'd been just barely six months since she'd ended her relationship and short-term engagement with Hayden. He had in fact been cheating on her with a former classmate of his from when he was in college. He also explained that he wasn't ready to be married yet and be tied down with all the responsibility and commitment that was brought with it. Though the whole situation was extremely messy and rushed as they tried to get all of their stuff back from one another and cancel the wedding plans, they said their respectful goodbyes within a week of breaking up.

That was when Aria decided that it would be in her best interest to move back to Pennsylvania.

The choice to leave her home in Chicago had been one that'd been planted in Aria after Thanksgiving weekend back in November. She didn't know at the time what it'd been, but after discovering Hayden's infidelity, the decision was made final. She didn't have to think about it for more than five minutes. She resigned from her place at the elementary school at the end of the semester in June, packed up her apartment and rented a U-Haul, and moved into a small apartment in Rosewood in a small complex just ten minutes away from her parent's house.

It was a cozy little pad that she was temporarily squatting in and had just enough room for her. She wasn't there too often, though, since she was currently scouring all of Bucks County for a new job. She'd applied at all the high school, middle schools, and elementary schools and she hadn't been called back for one interview yet. Heck, she even applied for a job at Hollis, the local college where her father taught art history. It was also where Ezra taught English.

Just the thought of him sent a new hammering to her heart and a thrill of butterflies through her stomach. Their three day affair had been the most adventurous and risky thing she'd ever participated in her life. She missed every little thing about him. The way his smoldering dark blue eyes burned fiery indigo lava at her every time he glanced her way when he thought she didn't notice. The way that his arms encased her so perfectly to his body, like her head was destined to be buried in the fabric of his t-shirt that covered his toned t-shirt while his hands slid up and down her back in a rhythmic pattern. The way that his hair wisped into wavy curls that hung thickly over his forehead and how they just called for her hands to run through them.

Most importantly, she would never forget the way that his lips felt; soft as a rose's petal and gentle like a mother holding her child's hand. One hand caressed the small of her back and the other held her in the embrace by finding a comfortable place on the back of her neck. Like she'd ever want to stop kissing him. She'd had her share of boyfriends in her twenty-three years, but _no man _she'd ever been with had been able to bring the spark that she had always been searching for. It was like their lips were meant to be locked in a passionate kiss for the rest of eternity.

It was like destiny was calling her to him. _Her destiny._

Ever since he drove away from the house all those nights ago in November and then their disastrous phone call in February, Ezra was all Aria ever thought about. He walked in her dreams. His face appeared on every man that she came into contact with. She heard the murmuring of his soft and nurturing voice in her ears almost every day. She tried to shake him, but unfortunately it wasn't that easy. He'd made an enormous impact on her life and he wasn't even around to know it.

Her father, Byron, told her that Ezra's first year at Hollis had been excelling. He actually surpassed many of the older professors when it came to his teaching methods and most of his elder colleagues had formed a great respect for him as did his students. Though some of the girls in his classes and a large handful of other college students had sported a crush on him. He never really noticed all the young female attention, though; Byron said that Ezra had told him that he wasn't looking for a relationship and that he was still waiting on that one girl who he said goodbye to so then she could be happy. Apparently, he was getting over a nasty heartbreak and when her father told her that specific detail, that'd been like a dull knife deep and twisted in her stomach. The last thing Aria wanted was to hear about Ezra being hurt from her choices. It's not like they've crossed paths in the past six weeks that she's been home so then they could talk and try to sort things out. Hell, she didn't even know if he wanted to see her; the probability in her favor of that happening was very low.

The front door was locked and her mother's car was vacant from the driveway so she went through the garage door that was cracked open just a small bit. She assumed that Byron or Mike must be doing some work on the car, which as almost a decade old, having trouble with the brake fluid every now and then. Sure enough, she saw two legs sticking out from underneath the car. Dirty blue jeans and sandals is all that she saw and she laughed as she softly gave his left leg a kick, assuming it was her younger brother, "Hey, Mike. What're you doing?"

Her greeting was met with a small clatter from underneath the car onto the grimy cement floor where tools were dropped and a loud "Dammit!" followed it. He crawled out from underneath the car, the upper part of his white tank shirt soaking his torso with thick automobile oil. He shook his head in frustration, "What the hell?" His eyes shot up to meet Aria's and the sparkling cobalt depths widened underneath messy dark brown curls. His mouth dropped agape in surprise.

He definitely wasn't her little brother, especially with his all too lanky build and perfectly chiseled jaw that she once ran over her hands over, the stubble feeling like sandpaper underneath her palms. Those blue eyes could only belong to one man and Aria knew who he was the moment that their gazes locked.

It was Ezra.

An awkward silence sat between them as they just stared at one another. Aria took the sparing moments to take in his familiar face. He looked almost exactly the same, except his curls weren't as thick, as he probably had them shortened for the summer heat. He looked leaner as if he'd lost weight and replaced it with muscle. His biceps weren't bulging, but they weren't exactly subtle either. They flexed as he slowly rose to his feet, gripping a grease cloth in his dirty hands. His soiled white tank shirt clung to his toned chest which was much more muscular than the last time she'd seen him in November. The young man also had acquired quite a tan from obviously being in the sun a lot this summer. His blue eyes smoldered even more brightly against his sweaty skin; just a deep abyss of indigo lava blinking back at her, threatening to swallow her whole.

One word finally escaped his soft lips, his voice filled with shock, "Aria."

"Hey." She replied, snapping out of her naturally checking him out, "What-What are you doing here?"

Ezra shrugged, motioning to her father's car, "Well, your dad was having some trouble with his car and my grandpa taught me some stuff about mechanics, so I thought I'd save him two hundred bucks for a trip to the shop here in town. It was just some stuff with the breaks and the oil needed to be changed. An easy fix." He took a moment to look her up and down before meeting her gaze again as he continued with a careful tone, "Now it's your turn. Shouldn't you be in Chicago with your husband or did he decide not tag along to see me, his old best friend?" He chuckled, turning back to his project underneath the hood.

"My dad didn't tell you? You two seem pretty close." Aria said with a teasing pitch to her voice.

His eyebrow furrowed in puzzlement as he looked over his shoulder at her, "Tell me what exactly? You did marry Hayden, didn't you?"

_He really doesn't know, does he? How is he going to react when I tell him? _Aria thought as she slowly responded, "Me and Hayden broke off the engagement in February. The day when we…..when we last talked was the same afternoon when I found out that Hayden was cheating on with me."

Ezra's jaw clenched and she watched as the veins in his arms tightened against the thin surface of the skin on his forearm, his fingers clenching into the dirty rag in his hands as if he were about to rip it apart into tiny little pieces, "I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you two." He turned back around to face her, his face sympathetic, remind her of what kind of sweet person he was, "You didn't deserve that. Besides, who in their right mind would ever throw away a chance to be with a one of a kind girl like you?" A bit of his boyish smile flashed at her, causing an even larger hoard of butterflies to soar through her core, as he turned away again to clean up his now finished task closing the hood of the car. He wiped his forehead with his rag, leaving a bit of grime behind on his sweaty skin.

Aria glanced down at his shirt and sighed, "Sorry about that."

He shook his head, the wavy curls in his dark brown hair sweeping at the sides of his face, "It's an older work shirt. I'm not worried about it." He paused before hesitantly asking, leaning against the car, arms across his chest, his biceps flexing, causing Aria to drool in her mind as she willed herself not to stare at the jutting muscles beneath tan skin, "How have you been besides you and Hayden breaking up?"

"I've been doing pretty well actually. I am actually looking for a job here in town and I just drove back from Brookhaven." She sighed, "It's been a while since I was doing all the applying. Teaching jobs are not easy to come by here in Bucks County."

Ezra smirked at her, an eyebrow raised, "You're actually going to be living here in Rosewood? I thought you enjoyed your life in the hustle and bustle of Chicago."

"I did, but I missed my hometown." As much as the small talk was making the awkward silence go away, she wanted to dig deeper than just talking about fixing cars and her current nonexistent employment and just apologize for all of what she put him through, "Look, Ezra, I'm sorry for-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Aria." Though his voice was genuine and true, it rung with pain as he refused to meet her eyes, "You wanted to marry Hayden and if it hadn't been for him cheating on you like the ass I warned you he was, you would be married to him right now." He swallowed and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out in a long drawn out sigh, "I'm over it, okay?"

"Ezra! Don't lie to me and say that you're not mad at me! Don't try and cover up the fact that I put you through hell!" Aria watched as his jaw clenched, unclenched, and then clenched again, "I know I hurt you and I'm so sorry for that! I'm begging you to just tear down this wall and stop acting like a tough guy." He didn't reply so she continued, "I know it's never going to be right between us. I just can't stand the idea of you walking around and hating me."

"Hate you?" Ezra's blue eyes shot up to meet hers and he drew nearer to her. She could smell his musky breath and sweat radiating from his overly heated body, "The only person I've hated for the past nine months is myself for leaving that night and not fighting for you." He took another deep breath, his chest rising and falling with the action, "And for the record, I could never hate you. I've thought about you every second since I drove away from you that night in November. Your voice, your face, even the smell of your perfume is all I've been thinking about." He bit the inside of his mouth, his jaw clenched, "I've dreamt of you. The dream of you coming back to Rosewood is all I've hoped for and now here you are. Too bad I'm too scared to do anything about it and if I do, I'll screw it up like I do everything else."

Aria didn't know what to say, "Ezra, I-"

The garage door opened before she could finish her sentence, causing Ezra to shoot away from her as Ella entered the work area, locking her car with her key remote behind her. Her eyes slightly widened in surprise seeing Ezra standing there covered in auto oil, "What a nice surprise! Ezra, did Byron really drag you into fixing his car because he's too cheap to go down to Al's?"

He cracked a smile and shrugged yet again, "I thought I'd save you guys some money. It wasn't that hard to fix."

"Unlike some things in life, a car is actually fixable." Aria muttered, twisting the rings on her fingers. She felt angry with herself and with Ezra too. If she had said no to Hayden's proposal, this mess would be way easier to clean up than it was right now. Then if he had stayed that night, they could've worked something out; instead, they were in this awkward position of barely speaking.

Her mother raised an eyebrow at her, "Is that supposed to mean something?" She was obviously oblivious to the sexual tension between her daughter and Ezra in the humid air.

He laughed with a narrowed eyed glanced at Aria, warning her not to say anything, "Who knows? Maybe it's a secret or something. Ooo I'm definitely interested now!" The two of them shared a laugh at her expense and she bit the inside of her mouth, willing herself not to smile. He pointed at her flaming pink cheeks, "She's blushing! It's got to be something good."

She shoved his hand away, "Shut up!"

Ella shook her head with a grin, "Aria, I'm sorry. We're just teasing you. There is no need to be so prickly." She patted her daughter's shoulder and took out her house key and jerked her head toward the garage to house door, "Come on in, you two. I'll make some sweet tea and Ezra, you better go get cleaned up and take a quick shower. Borrow an old shirt of Mike's if you'd like. I don't want you to keep that dirty old thing." She wrinkled her nose at his dirty white tank shirt before opening the door and stepping inside the air conditioned house.

He waited to be sure that she was inside the house before turning back to Aria, his eyes darkening, "I think we should just let this whole thing drop. We've both apologized face to face and I rather neither of us get hurt over something that probably wouldn't have worked out."

"What if it had, Ezra? What if I had said no to Hayden that night? Would things be better between us then?"

"I guess we'll never know. I'm sorry, Aria. I hate walking away from this. I just can't handle saying goodbye to you more than once. The first time was hard enough." He sighed and then hesitantly pressed a kiss to her forehead, lips lingering a moment before pulling away and going inside, leaving her even more bewildered than before.

* * *

><p>Ezra stood frigidly and shivering underneath the cold water as it poured over his overheated and exhausted naked body in the shower. It clung to his dark brown hair and dripped in droplets as though they were rain as they rolled slowly down his face. The water that was flowing down the path of the tub was dark and almost a rich black from the oil that once covered his face and hands.<p>

He couldn't shake his conversation with Aria out of his head. He smiled sadly just at the thought of her. She was as beautiful as ever, almost exactly the same as he last saw her in; apart from her new haircut, she was identical to what she had looked like in November. Her hazel eyes seemed to lighten up the moment she realized that it was him underneath the car. Sure, it'd cost him a work shirt, but he would trade all the shirts in the world just to look at her one more time.

He said no to her because for the previous nine months, his heart was torn apart as if an alpha wolf had used it as a tug-a-war toy with another member of his pack. And none of it was Aria's fault. He should have fought for her and told her the way he felt that Thanksgiving eve. At the time, he thought he knew that he could move on and forget about her. Stupid of him to even consider since he could never seem to get her off of his mind.

His college buddy, Hardy tried to set him up with a few different girls once he started working at Hollis, as if to get his head out of the clouds of heartbreak. Ezra wasn't interested in dating anyone and eventually his friend backed off. Byron had once even tried to convince him to go on a date with Simone, an old family friend of the Montgomerys', and he had to explain the whole story of how he wasn't looking for a relationship. He even hinted of a girl he'd let go because she wanted to be with someone else and that he was waiting for her to come back. And she was, at last. Nine months later.

Ezra wanted to be with Aria more than anything else in the world, but he couldn't give her the satisfaction of giving into her whims so easily. She needed to give him space and some time to handle her coming back. He wanted to show her that he wasn't her backup plan when things didn't work out with another guy that she chose over him.

His mind immediately flipped to Hayden and his shoulders tensed just at the thought of him, his long fingers curling over the soap holder which sat right beneath the shower head. He knew that the punk would break Aria's heart, though she didn't seem too upset by the fact that he cheated on her. The point being that Ezra was right along satisfied him a very sad way. He never wanted her to be hurt, especially not by Hayden, who was just a poster boy for bad judgment and poor decisions. If he'd only told her his true feelings in those first two days…

Ezra turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, his hand sweeping away the curtain with one fluid motion. He wrapped a plain white towel around his waist and took in his reflection in the mirror.

He'd lost about forty pounds since November. He wanted to get back into shape, so he'd gone on a low carb diet, eating few sweets and lots of vegetables and fruit. He ran once in the morning around six thirty and then an hour after dinner in the evenings. He went to the gym once a week to lift weights. He felt better at twenty seven than he had in all of his teen years. He'd always been a bit on the scrawny side, but he was finally starting to fill out a bit.

When he was finally dried off, he slipped on his boxers and jeans. They weren't too dirty, unlike his white tank shirt that hung from the doorknob. He may as well just throw it away. He exited the bathroom, making sure all of the mess he made was cleaned up and looked as though he'd never been in there.

Ezra walked downstairs, shirtless in just a pair of jeans which hung a little loosely on his hips. He put the dirty towel in the laundry basket and then walked to the kitchen. Ella and Aria sat there, exchanging small talk while sipping on glasses of sweet iced tea. As he stepped into the room, he felt Aria's gaze nail on him, mainly on his bare torso. He wasn't used to getting a lot of female attention for his body and looks, so his cheeks started to darken a bit. This was the first time in his life he'd ever had abs, so he assumed that's what the young woman was drooling over.

Ella just laughed and nudged her daughter, who jumped at her touch, "Why don't you just take a picture sweetheart?" She shook her head, chestnut brown hair swinging around her shoulders in a neat ponytail, "You'll have to excuse Aria, Ezra. Shirtless men with abs are her kryptonite."

Now it was her turn to blush scarlet red, "Mom!"

"Oh come on, Aria. Don't deny that you had posters of a tan, wet, and shirtless Taylor Lautner on your bedroom wall when you were sixteen. I don't think Ezra here wants the same fate." Her mother laughed again as she watched both of them blush, "Things haven't changed much, have they?"

Ezra just sort of stood there awkwardly, forcing himself not to smile as Aria continued to flush bright pink. He had to admit that the color was beautiful on her cheeks. Then again, she looked stunning with whatever she did or whatever she wore, "Maybe it's just a girl thing or something. I wouldn't know."

"Well, I would hope not, especially not with a body like yours!" Ella laughed.

With a duck of the head and a shy smile, he said, "I think I'll take off now. I've got some stuff to do at my apartment. Thanks for letting me get cleaned up. It feels much better to have all of that grime and grease off of my skin." He chuckled for a moment before continuing, "Tell Byron and Mike hello for me."

"I will. Thank you for doing that for my husband. His wallet has been spared yet again." Ella grinned with another shake of the head, "Please come over any time. Don't be shy. Our home is your home too."

"I appreciate that." He shot her a flash of a respective and polite smile before looking down at Aria, eyes softening as his gaze met hers. Her hazel depths dragged him down, threatening to drown him as if they were the Atlantic Ocean, "It was nice seeing you again, Aria."

She returned his soft grin with one of her own, "It was nice seeing you again too. I guess I'll see you soon."

"I guess you will."

They kept their gazes locked for a few more moments before Ezra finally waved goodbye to the two women and walked away towards the front door. He looked over his shoulder at least three times in Aria's direction. Ella didn't notice as her daughter continued to eye him. Everything in the orbs of her almond gray eyes told him all he needed to know without words ever needed to be spoken.

He knew at that moment that he'd screwed up by letting her slip through his fingers again.

And that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

* * *

><p>Ella shook her head in good humor as Ezra walked out the front door into the scorching July heat and humidity, still only in his sagging blue jeans and sandals, "Are you sure you don't want to watch the man get into his car?" Though her tone was teasing, the layer beneath it was hinting as though she knew what was going, or what <em>wasn't <em>going on, between her daughter and her friend.

"Mom, please just stop." The twenty three year old warned, "Besides, I'm sure he already has a girlfriend." She knew he didn't, but even the thought of him being with someone else made jealousy tear through her, "I mean, did you see him? How could he _not _have girls chasing him down the street?"

Her mother nodded in understanding, eyes narrowed at Aria as she poured herself another cup of sweet tea, "I see." She then asked, "Your father did tell you that story of how Ezra is waiting for the love of his life to come back to him, right? The one who left him to be with someone else?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Her heart started to hammer as Ella started to piece the puzzle together.

The elder woman leaned forward on her elbows as she peered at her daughter, "I'm not blind, sweetheart. I saw the way that he was looking at you. He looked as though you were the only person in the room. Or probably even bigger than that. He looked at you like you were the only person _on planet_." She watched as her daughter's face fell as she refused to meet her eyes, "Were you completely blind to it? Is that why you left with Hayden in November?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mom. I haven't even known him that long." That was true. They had some conversations, three kisses, and then went their separate ways in just the matter of less than three days. Not to mention their disastrous phone call in February. That didn't really count, though since the call was barely two minutes long, "Where are you getting all this from, anyways?"

"Aria, honey, I know you and your taste in men too well for you to lie to me and say that you and Ezra weren't once…involved in a romantic way. Now tell me. What led you to choose Hayden over him?"

Aria sighed and nodded slowly, biting her bottom lip. She couldn't lie to her mother. They were too close for that, "Ezra and I met at the end of the day on the second day of the bus trip that Hayden and I took on the way here in November. He boarded in Ohio and since there was only one seat open next to me, that's where he sat. We talked a lot about old literature and had a deep discussion about the theme of _To Kill a Mockingbird._"

Ella smiled, "That sounds like a pleasant way to make time go by quicker. Plus, he seems like he knows a lot about novels from your grandmother's time." They both shared a small laugh at that comment before her mother asked, "What happened next?"

"Hayden got drunk at a pub that we stopped in Cleveland that was right down the street where we were going to stay for the night. He said some not so nice things about my family and friends. Ezra, more or less, made me feel better by comforting me in the woman's restroom." When Ella looked puzzled at this detail, Aria quickly added, "I had to get away from the commotion of my drunken boyfriend and the rest of the bar for a while and he'd been waiting for me to come out. When I didn't, he made sure no one else was in there and held me until I wasn't crying anymore."

Ella's eyebrows knitted together as she realized there was something her daughter wasn't telling her, "What else went down in that bathroom?"

"Um..." Aria played with the rings on her fingers as she refused to meet her gaze when she finally said, "He kissed me." She looked up to see her mother staring at her with wide eyes and watched them grow wider as she continued, "Then I kissed him back." Before Ella could say anything, she added, "We may have made out in the bathroom for more than five minutes."

"Aria, as your mother, I don't really know what to say to respond to that."

"Well, before you respond, you should let me finish the rest of the story." She smirked sadly and touched her fingers to her lips as she remembered Ezra kissing her. How could she ever forget it? The softness of his lips, his hands on her waist, sliding up and down her back , the fireworks going off underneath her eyelids…"When I kissed him, it was like nothing I've ever experienced. Mom, you know in those corny romantic movies when the couple kisses and they feel the sparks? Well, I felt that way with Ezra." She sighed as she rubbed her temples, "We got into an argument. He said that Hayden wasn't a good guy and that he was going to break my heart. I didn't believe him then. Now I wish I would have listened."

"Do you think Ezra understood that you and Hayden had been together for two years?" Ella asked delicately.

"He understood perfectly. That's why by the end of the night, we talked again and he said he was sorry for making me feel like I had to make a choice." Aria folded her hands in her lap, still playing with her two finger ring, "Then when the bus dropped us off in Rosewood and Hayden was inside, we kissed goodbye. I thought that was the last time I was going to see him."

"Until your father invited him to dinner, right?"

She nodded, "Ezra and I had no idea that we were going to see each other again. That's why it was so hard for me to watch Hayden propose to me and see Ezra's face when I said yes." She cringed as she remembered his face when Hayden bent down on his knee and professed his love for her with an engagement ring. Like someone had shot him and the bullet wound wasn't to kill, but to make him suffer and bleed to his death….

Ella winced at the thought as she too remembered the way Ezra's face had fallen, "Is that why you ran after him? Not because you wanted to say goodbye, but to apologize?"

"Exactly."

She nodded in understanding, "Honey, I think you and Ezra should give you two a shot. Like I said earlier in this conversation, he's been waiting for you to come back. I think he really fell hard for you." She patted her daughter's hand, "Just go for it and see where it leads you."

"Mom-" Aria started, but Ella cut her off.

"I've seen guys look at girls before, Aria." She shook her head with a smirk, "Either in a good way or bad. But I have never in my life ever seen a man look at a woman like Ezra looks at you." She paused before adding after a couple moments of silence, "He looks at you like you're his soulmate or something crazy like that. I've never seen anything like it."

Before either woman could say anything more, the front door opened and Ezra came walking through, his freshly cleaned face and shirtless body covered in sweat, his forehead dripping with perspiration, causing Aria to stare at his abdomen and bare torso yet again, "Damn it's a scorching one out there!" He chuckled in good humor as he continued, "I was halfway home when I realized that I forgot my tools in the garage." He held up his small plastic bag filled with work equipment that Aria didn't know the names of, "I just wanted to let you two know so then you wouldn't suspect a robber was out to steal your stuff."

Aria opened her mouth to say something but her mother cut her off, "Ezra, it's way too hot for you to be walking all the way to your apartment in this heat, especially when you have nothing on your back."

He shook his head and shrugged, "Ella, it's not that big of a deal. It's only ten minutes away."

Ella completely ignored him as if he'd never spoken, "How about Aria takes you home? Aria, you live right around that area, don't you?" Ella switched her mischievous twinkled eyes to her daughter, who was mouthing the word _no _to her the entire time and shaking her head, "It'll take all but ten minutes to take him down there. You're not doing anything anyways."

Ezra and Aria exchanged a glance. She could see it in his eyes that he was not comfortable with this idea, of being in a car alone with her, "I hate to be a bother-"

The elder woman practically pushed them outside into the July heat, "Nonsense, Ezra. She'll drive you." With a wink at the two of them, she shut the door and locked the door.

Aria rolled her eyes and then looked over at Ezra. His mouth was drawn in a concentrated frown, "I guess we better go and get this over with then." He sighed and headed off of the porch, his sandals flopping against his feet. She couldn't help but bite her bottom lip and take in the powerful shoulders that faced her. He'd definitely been lifting weights and running. He must have lost at least fifty pounds since they'd last seen one another.

She sighed and followed him to her car, thinking, _Might as well get this over with. I can't wait to screw up this situation even more than I already have._

* * *

><p>Ezra snuck a glance at Aria in the driver's seat. She looked tense and annoyed. She wasn't exactly livening the cab of the car, so he finally spoke, in a sarcastic tone, "Wow, this is a real party." When she didn't respond, he looked out the passenger side window, his chin resting on his hand that was being propped up by his elbow on the armrest, biceps flexing as if to tease her, "It looks like it's about to rain."<p>

She rolled her eyes and gripped the steering the wheel tightly with both hands, "Could we just get to your apartment in silence please?"

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to talk to you." He shot back, his voice almost a snarl in her direction, "I haven't spoken to you since November for more than two minutes. And that was what? Nine months ago?" As soon as he finished speaking, the clouds broke out with a clap of thunder that followed after a strike of lightning, "It finally looks like the dry spell is breaking. It's a good thing, too. We could have had some nasty wildfires if we didn't get some rain soon."

"It's about time we had some rainfall. Or ever better: a thunderstorm."

"Storms are everywhere, you know? In the weather, in the real world where people hurt…." Ezra sighed as she shot him a look of regret, "I didn't mean it like that." She flinched away from him as she turned her attention back to the road, "Aria…"

"Is that what I put you through? Your own personal storm?"

"I told you I didn't mean it like that."

The rain started to poor onto the windshield, making it almost impossible for her to see. To avoid an accident, she pulled over to the side of the road right in front a stop sign. She leaned back in her seat and turned to face him, eyes filled with unshed tears, "I know I already apologized for it, but it wasn't enough for me. I couldn't say sorry enough for treating you the way I did. I don't even know why you're talking to me right now." One tear fell from her eyelids, slowly sliding down her cheek. The last thing he wanted to see was her weep. He couldn't think of anything worse.

He reached over to hesitantly wipe it away with his thumb, his blue eyes widened with care and passion, "Aria, please don't cry."

"I can't shake this feeling of guilt. I just can't stand the idea of you hurting because of me."

"Aria, please don't feel like you have to put all of the blame yourself. Some of it is my fault too."

"How was any of this your fault?"

He blinked at her, "It's some of mine too because I fell for a girl that was taken by a man who dressed like he thought he was a twelve year old rapper with his sagging pants, ear piercings and tattoos." He watched as her face broke out into a wide smile and he couldn't help but grin himself. He loved seeing her with that happiness on her face, even if it was towards a sarcastic joke, "I should have told you the way I felt. And the truth is that when I'm with you, I don't care about anybody else. I want to be with you, I do. I just feel like we need to take one baby step at a time. Just so then we know where _this _is going."

Aria's smile widened as she neared closer to him, "So what are you saying? Are you talking yourself into this or out of it?"

"I don't know yet. All I know is that I can't say goodbye to you again." He swallowed, "It was hard enough to drive away the first time let alone do it the second time."

"Then you better not say goodbye to me." She smiled and rested her head on his bare shoulder for a moment. An affectionate gesture that led Ezra to only get butterflies flying through him from his feet to his head.

He thought for a moment before he moved forward so then his lips were just barely a foot away from hers, "I'll say yes to this only if you tell me one thing."

She nodded, "Anything. What do you want me to tell you?"

"Do you forgive me?" He asked quietly, his voice barely above a murmur.

"What do I have to forgive you for exactly?"

"For not fighting for you." He watched as she thought about this for a moment, "You don't have to answer me right now, but I just wanted to see if you could ever possibly forgive me for that. I've regretted it for the last nine months."

"I forgive you, Ezra." Hearing those words fall from Aria's mouth made everything that he'd dreamt of since November become reality and he let out a deep breath that he didn't know that he'd been holding as she continued, rubbing his cheek softly with her hand, "I've missed you."

Ezra nodded and peered deep into the depths of her hazel eyes, drowning in the glowing orbs as he whispered, "I've missed you, too."

"Can…" She started and then stopped before sighing and opening her eyes to meet his smoldering blue gaze again, "Can we just be here a minute? Not making out in the front seat of my car, but just a hug?"

Her tone of voice was begging him and he caved the moment he heard it. He nodded, looking at her up and down before wrapping her up in his arms as she unstrapped her seatbelt and snuggled into his chest. He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her strawberry shampoo, his walls being torn down by each passing second. The woman who he had so many overwhelming feelings for was finally back into his arms, just like in his dreams she had been. With his face buried in her soft hair and his arms firmly around her, hoping that this wasn't all a dream.

Because she was finally back.

And he didn't plan on letting her go anytime soon.

**Wow. It's been forever since the last time I updated this story. I hope all of you enjoyed it and forgive me for not getting it up sooner. I was sick for most of the winter if that counts as an excuse and on top of that was all of my school stuff. Plus, I had to finish up Double Infinity, which had my attention for almost all of March. **

**I changed this chapter so many times because I didn't know how to exactly bring them back together again. And after studying the lyrics of the song again and watching Season 2 end like it did, I finally came up with this. Personally, I would love to see Ezra working on a car and covered in grease. But hey that's just me!**

**A don't worry. Just because these two are finally coming together, their journey is not even close to being over. More drama is going to come and it's all going to lead up to the big surprise I have planned at the end. **

**This story is going to be around 18-20 chapters and I already have some of my readers begging for a sequel. We'll see if more interest grows!  
><strong>

**Please review and tell me what you thought. Constructive criticism, not burning, please! **

**I can assure you that the next chapter will be up before you know it. Thanks for reading and being so patient with me!**


	9. Speaks to Your Soul, Sings to Your Heart

**If I Knew Then Chapter 9**

**Speaks to Your Soul****, ****Sings to Your Heart**

* * *

><p><em>Takes every breath<em>

_Leaves every scar_

_It speaks to your soul_

_And sings to your heart_

* * *

><p>Ezra peered from underneath the sink cabinet of Aria's apartment, pointing to one of many tools on the small counter, "Aria, please hand me that wrench. I'm just about done with this thing. All I've got to do is tighten it." His tan skin was glistening with sweat underneath his gray tank shirt that hugged his broad chest nicely. The air conditioning was down in the apartment building and it was more than a hundred and six degrees outside, not counting the heat index and humidity. Ezra wore only the tank shirt and a pair of ripped blue jean shorts. Almost every inch of his body was covered in perspiration.<p>

Aria, who was sitting patiently at the counter on one of the bar stools watching him fix the garbage disposal, grabbed the wrench and placed it in his outstretched hand, smiling slightly as their skin brushed, sending a million butterflies flying through her stomach, "I really appreciate you doing all of the home maintenance stuff. It means a lot to me that you would drop everything that you were dying to come all the way up three flights of stairs in this kind of heat." She had three fans going, but, unfortunately, they were only pushing the extremely clammy air around in the small residence.

He chuckled as he finished his work, tightening the last knob on the pipe before sliding out of from underneath the sink and shutting the door, "It's not like I was doing anything important. It's only August 3rd after all. I won't start my lesson planning for the new semester for at least for more two more weeks." He shot his signature smile in her direction as he wiped his forehead with his shirt, his face red with perspiration.

After their cuddling in the front seat of Aria's car and when the heavy ten minute rain finally let up, she surprisingly dropped him off at the same apartment in which she lived in. He lived in Apartment 3B, just three sets of stairs away from her own little loft, which was the highest in the building where anyone could live and since they discovered this fact, he'd been stopping all the time, making sure that nothing was broken or if anything needed fixed. He was surprisingly good with tools for being such a bookworm; apparently, his grandfather had been a very popular carpenter and passed on the skills to him and his older brother, Kenneth, who she still had to meet in addition to his mother. His father wasn't really a part of his life; not since his parents' nasty divorce when he was twelve.

They agreed after the car moment that they were going to take this slow and to keep it private; only her three best friends and Ella knew about them being together. Two weeks had passed since their reunion and Ezra drew a steady line when it came to their relationship. He was a very traditional guy and he wanted to space everything out just so perfectly. Aria also guessed that he was being cautious because he didn't want his heart to be broken again. She understood that it would take some time. She could already tell though that he was planning something big for their first date that they kept delaying to go on.

Looking at Ezra, covered in sweat and his muscles flexing and his gleaming dark blue eyes squinting back her beneath those wavy dark brown curls, Aria couldn't help but have thoughts about him in a sexual way. She bit on her bottom lip as she thought of him in bed, his hands all over her, his sweet tasting tongue in her mouth as he made love to her only a real man would know how to; his body against hers and no space between them….

Hearing his voice jolted her from her fantasies, "Are you okay there, Ms. Montgomery? You're as red as a ripened tomato." Ezra laughed again and pushed himself to his feet, placing the wrench back onto the counter. A bit of a draft waved from his movements and it wafted with his musky scent, causing Aria to swoon. He bit his bottom lip before flashing that smile again, "Aria, I've been thinking about that first date and I think that we ought to do it tonight. I want to take you somewhere nice."

"What happened to the moving slow rule?" She asked him gently, knowing what the answer would be.

Ezra shook his head with a slight shrug, his grin still on his lips, "I'm not asking you to spend the rest of your life with me. But would spending just tonight with me be _that _bad? I mean, after all," He moved his face closer to hers, causing his sweet breath to land on her cheeks, "you kind of owe me for all of the free labor that I've been giving you for the last two weeks." His voice was sweet, but underneath the surface was dripping with heavy and sultry seduction.

"Well if you put it that way…" Right then would've been the best moment for a kiss and Aria even leaned up closer to him, her lips almost brushing his, the sparks between them already beginning to fly. Unfortunately, at the last second, he moved away, his jaw tightening and blue eyes filled with a war between lust and frustration. She shook her head in disappointment and took one step back from him, "Ezra…When are we going to get past this? We both know it's not going to stay at this awkward forever, so why keep up the charade?"

His jaw tightened even more and gently brought his hand up to her face, gently stroking her cheek with her thumb, "You know why. You don't even have to ask." He sighed deeply, his fingers running through his wavy curls, "But I'll tell you again to refresh your memory; I want to do this right. The right time for everything; first date, first kiss, first time…" His cheeks darkened at the last thing he said and Aria's did the same, her sexual desires from just two moments ago entering her mind yet again, "I didn't mean it like that. I'm never going to pressure you into something like that."

"I know, Ezra." She took a deep breath and then shook her head, knowing she was going to end up being the one pressuring him, "Yes, I will go out with you tonight." She watched as light trickled back onto his face and into his eyes as she confirmed their date for the night. She smiled up at him, "Well, you better go and get cleaned up then. I don't want to be going out with a man who smells like he just stepped out of a gym locker."

His grin widened and he nodded, "Alright." He raised his eyebrow at her, "You're lucky though. All my old girlfriends would be lucky if I showered for them on our dates."

"Is that so? Did Mr. Ezra Fitz have every girl in the school just fainting over him?"

He nodded again; only this time it was out of sarcasm, "Yeah, totally. I was a lady killer with braces and an overly populated amount of acne on my face as a seventeen year old boy." He gathered all of his tools into a Family Dollar bag and then swung it over his shoulder, "Walk me down to my apartment?" He stretched his free right hand out to her and she clasped it in her own, sighing with relief as her skin met his and their fingers twined almost instinctively, as though they were made to be interlocked. This was as far as they went as far as touch. However, it was enough for Aria to feel completely blown away by the way their hands just fit together.

It was her fate to be with him. Just plain and simple.

Destiny.

She was always looking for what those old Disney princess movies taught her to look for as a little girl: her Prince Charming that she was supposed to spend the forever ever after with. Before meeting Ezra, she had given up on looking for him. Then there he was, getting on a bus in Cincinnati, impacting her life immensely. After their two and a half day affair and then two weeks spending almost waking moment together, she had a feeling she feeling that she'd finally found her one true love.

Aria could never tell Ezra this. He would think that she was crazy for falling for him so quickly. However, what wasn't to fall for? He had the charm, the smile, the looks and the sweet personality that would make any sane and sensible woman dream of being with. He treated Aria like she was the only one in the room when they were together. She caught him looking at her with some emotion deep within in the mysterious depths of his dark cobalt eyes. She knew he felt something strong for her; any moron with half a lick of sense could tell her that, but she didn't know if he felt as strongly for her as she did for him.

Ezra glanced over at her once they reached the end of the second staircase and raised his eyebrows as he wondered what she was so concentrated about, "What're you thinking about over there, Ms. Montgomery? You look pretty distracted." He gave her hand a squeeze and a small grin lied on his soft pink lips, "Are you okay?"

She shrugged as though it wasn't something as big as destiny, fate, and thinking of him making ultra sweet love to her in his apartment bed. She squirmed just at the thought of having him so close to her, in such an intimate way, "I'm just planning what I'm going to wear for our spontaneous first date tonight. The girls are going to have to help me pick out my outfit. Plus, they've been waiting to meet you, anyways."

Her three best friends, Emily, Spencer and Hanna, have had been super supportive of Aria's decision of being in a relationship with Ezra for the past two weeks. Actually since her breakup with Hayden, they'd been ones who really encouraged her to find Ezra again. Especially Spencer. She herself was dating a man that was forbidden at first: her sister's fiancé, Wren Kingston. Wren wasn't that much older, but old enough to be frowned upon by her family; a college graduate and interning at the local hospital as he did his two year residency. He was a British sweetheart who treated Spencer with respect and they loved one another almost all too much. Ezra actually knew him because his older brother was in the same residency as he was and the two were becoming quite good friends.

Emily and Hanna were a bit more hesitant when she told them that Ezra and her were going to try and be a couple, but then again, after seeing what Hayden did to her, they were right to be cautious with whom their best friend was going to date, just to be there for her in case another broken relationships came Aria's way, which she highly doubted because Ezra would never break her heart. He'd been waiting for her for all too long. He wasn't going to let her slip away again.

He nodded in understanding as they finally reached the third floor and went to his apartment door, "Well, you'll look beautiful no matter what you wear, I'm sure." They both blushed scarlet and he added quickly, "I am a bit biased, aren't I?" He paused again and then continued, "I would like to meet the girls as well. I'm glad they trust me enough to be with you." He clearly didn't want to recognize the fact that he technically already met her three closest gal pals; the night that Hayden asked her to marry him was one he refused to even address. She didn't blame him.

"Well, they're all adjusting to it. They're just a bit hesitant, you know? I've never had a boyfriend who has actually treated me right. All of my relationships have ended badly. Some worse than mine with Hayden."

Ezra's eyes darkened with smoldering cobalt lava in the deep depths at the mention of Hayden's name and his grip on her hand grew tighter, though not enough to hurt her. Hayden was an extremely touchy subject with him. Aria didn't even want to think of what would happen if he were ever to run into him on the street, "I promise you that I would never hurt you like any of those jackasses ever did. You're too important. I lost you once. I'm not going to let you go anywhere else to be with someone else unless if that's what you really want."

She wanted to just shake his shoulders and scream, _How are you even real? _Instead, she just wrapped him up in a warm hug, enjoying the sweet moment that they had together, her arms around his sweaty body and his sweet musky breath in her hair, "I know, Ezra." She pulled away, still clasping his hand in her much smaller one, "Thank you."

His face broke out into a wide, shy and boyish grin, "What can I say? I like you too much to be that stupid." He kissed her forehead, his soft lips lingering. He then let go of her hand after giving it another tender squeeze so he could reach underneath the welcome mat where he kept his spare key. He didn't like to keep keys in his pockets, often saying that they just weighed him down. His Camry was almost always unlocked. He inserted the key into the doorknob and turned it, pushing the cedar door open with one easy motion. He took one step into the doorway before freezing, all of his muscles tensing.

Aria struggled to peer over his shoulder, trying to see what took him so off guard, "Ezra? What's wrong?"

On the leather couch sitting in the microscopically small living room sat a man that looked like an older version of Ezra. His dark brown hair was shorter and his face wore more worldly experience, but other than that, no one could ever mistake him for being anyone other than Ezra's older brother, Kenneth.

"Hello, Ezra." His burning olive green gaze swiveled over to the woman standing behind him and the pitch in his voice was careful as he politely greeted her, "And you must be Aria. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He glanced back to his brother, his eyes hardened in a manner so cold, it sent a shiver down her spine, "A pleasure indeed."

* * *

><p>Ezra stared at his older brother in surprise which closely faded into anger. Kenneth knew better than to enter this apartment without his permission. Sure, he owned it by law, but Ezra paid rent to live in the small quarters. All of his stuff was in here and this is where he called home. He'd lived here since the end of November. Kenneth had no right to trespass, especially when he practically gave him the apartment when he moved to Pennsylvania.<p>

He controlled his tone as he stared at the young doctor, "What a surprise to see you here. Where are the girls?"

Kenneth stood to his feet with a slight shrug, "They went to go see Mom for the day. She's been bugging us to let her see Emma more and Natalie had the day off, so they went into the city for a girl's day out." He glanced at Aria again and then back to his younger brother, '"Enough about me. How about you? What have you two been up to all afternoon?"

"Aria and I were just hanging out together. It's not that big of a deal. We're just two good friends trying to keep cool on a hot summer day." He could tell by the way that he was looking at them that Kenneth didn't believe for a second that they were just friends so he quickly added, "She was actually just telling me that she's going to call some girlfriends and pick out an outfit for tonight." He turned to Aria for a moment, who was eying his brother with curiosity and friendliness, even though she looked a bit overwhelmed, "Ar, this is Kenneth, my older brother. Kenneth, this is my…."He searched for the proper world, "This is my girlfriend, Aria Montgomery."

The mention of the word _girlfriend _brought a slight raise to Kenneth's brow, but he pasted a fake smile on his face as he looked at Aria, "So, you're the famous Aria. I've heard a lot about you from little Ezra here." He rubbed his little brother's shoulder, who shook it off with a roll of his dark blue eyes.

"I've heard a lot about you myself." She stuck her hand out to the elder Fitz son, "It's nice to finally meet you."

Ken clasped her hand in both of his, "The feeling is mutual." He casually looked at her up and down with those judgment filled green eyes of his. Ezra sighed. His brother was not the biggest fan of Aria; not after watching him suffer for nine months from heartbreak. It took him forever just to leave the apartment other than for his job at Hollis and that was Emma's third birthday party where his presence had been mandatory.

Kenneth also had a lot of family and relationship values. He and his wife of nearly ten years, Natalie, were married at nineteen and did what they could to survive as they both scrapped through college. They waited until Natalie had a steady job as a secretary for a prestigious law firm in Phillie when they finally decided to have a child. When he discovered that his younger brother had had his heart broken by a stranger, he grew quite a dislike for a Ms. Aria Montgomery. He just didn't want Ezra to get hurt again and trying to convince him away from her was going to be a whole lot harder, especially since the two were now neighbors.

Ezra knew his brother's opinion of Aria, but he wasn't going to let anyone get between them; not after just being reunited and working through some of the many problems that they had. He felt himself falling for her even harder each passing second. He wanted to spill out how much he loved her and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but it was far too soon to even mention that word: _love. _A two and a half day affair and then two weeks together was not enough time to realize if they were meant to be or not. He truly believed he loved her and that it was his destiny to be with her, but if he were to tell her that, it would just send her running again, which was the last thing that he wanted to happen after just getting her back.

Aria glanced at the clock on the wall and then turned to Ezra, her face soft as she gazed at him, "I better go and call the girls so then we can go to the mall for a couple of hours. I'll see you at seven thirty, alright?" He nodded and after a few more moments of the young couple looking at one another, she sighed happily and waved goodbye to both men, "Alright, goodbye then. It was nice meeting you, Kenneth." She called out as she walked out of the apartment.

He responded almost too quickly, "It was nice to meet you to as well."

Ezra stared at her with a shy grin, "Bye." She smiled at him one last time before she shut the cedar door behind her. He looked after her for a couple of moments, wondering how yet again he had been so lucky to get her back. _If she only truly understood how I feel about her. It's not like I could ever even put it into words._

"Are you really that stupid, Ezra?" Kenneth's deep voice asked him as soon as he knew that Aria was gone, breaking him out of the spell that Aria had left on him after leaving his home. He turned to his older brother with narrowed eyes and he continued, drawing closer to the twenty seven year old, "Did nine months of calamity completely escape your memory?"

"Things are different now. I'm different, she's different. We've had time to grow and change. We're both ready to take this slow and be in this relationship together as a couple." He retorted, his shoulders tightening underneath his sleeveless gray shirt.

God, you are such a dumbass! She hurt you once and she's going to do that again! That's just the type of girl that she is." He rolled his eyes and paused with a deep breath before his voice grew dark, "I was there for you when you said goodbye to her the first time. You were a mess. What's going to happen now that you two are officially in a relationship and she realizes that she can choose someone ever you again?"

Anger erupted in Ezra and he got right up in his face, blue eyes seething with fury, "How could you ever say that to me? Do you not see how happy I am when I'm around her? She's special to me, Ken! She's a great girl and I truly think that she's the _one. _She is it for me. I can't imagine myself with anyone else."

Kenneth snorted in annoyance, shaking his head, "You've been together for what? Less than a month? Three week at the most? How do you know that she isn't just messing with you, Ez? She's one of those bad-boy liking types. She wouldn't settle for an ordinary bookworm guy like you. Remember what you told me about her ex? That he was one of those old gangbangers that had tattoos of gang signs on his arms?" His little brother didn't answer so he took the chance to further his point, "She chose _him _over _you_. If she wasn't committed then, how do you know that she's even close to being committed now?"

He went over to the apartment door and opened it, "Get the hell out of my apartment." Rage filled his tone, "I don't want to hear another thing out of your mouth. Just get out."

"I own the place. I can be here if I want to be. And don't kick me out because you can't accept the inevitable. She's not going to-"

"I won't tell you again." Ezra's voice grew cold as he interrupted him, "Get. Out. Of. My. Apartment."

This time, Ken took his younger brother seriously, not used to the aggression that he usually lacked. He stood in the doorway across from Ezra, "I'm sorry, Ezra. I'm just trying to be a good older brother. I'm trying to look out for you before that girl breaks your heart again."

He shook his head in aggravation, "Just go, Ken. I'll talk to you whenever."

The older Fitz brother exited the loft and Ezra shut the door behind him before going to pour himself a glass of scotch. He wasn't a heavy drinker and it was only two in the hot August afternoon, but after the conversation that he just had with Kenneth, he felt like he needed it. He poured the copper liquid into the shot glass and sat on his leather sofa, taking a small sip. The liquid burned the inside of his throat as he swallowed it, but it was cold and refreshing against his scorched tissue and soon he'd drained the whole cup. He set it on the table and then placed his head in his hands.

Ken was almost three years older than him. After their father left following the divorce when they were fifteen and twelve, it was his job to take the role as man of the house. Their mother worked the night shift at the hospital as a nurse so Kenneth was usually the one taking care of dinner and making sure Ezra did his homework. He respected his brother for stepping up like that, but he was sure that he knew that he can't run his life anymore. Ezra was a grown man and he worked hard to achieve what he had. He wanted to believe that his only intention was to make sure that his best interest was being with Aria and looking out for him so he didn't get his heart broken all over again, but there was one part of Ken that would never change: he always had to be in control of everything and everyone around him.

Ezra rubbed his temples. Growing up with just a mother and older sibling had been tough, especially following in Kenneth's path at school. He had to push himself to have a 4.0 when his brother had gotten a 4.2. He had to scrap up enough money just to pay his college tuition to get his major in English at the local college while Ken headed off to medical school, graduating one year of schedule. He had to work to impress all the girls he ever came into contact with while Ken married his high school sweetheart right after graduating from high school after being with her since the eighth grade. Everything with his older brother was a competition and now he was competing for something that mattered to him more than anything else: being right.

If he was going to prove to Ken that he was right about Aria, he was going to have to really show him. And that meant doing God knows what to get her to really fall in love with him like how he was with her.

_Challenge accepted _Ezra thought as he pushed himself to his feet and went to the bathroom to get ready for their first date.

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><p>Hanna laughed, a shrill ringing in the air of the dressing room as she, Emily, and Spencer waited for Aria to change into yet another outfit, "It's not like you're getting married to the guy, Ar. It's the first date. There is no need to get all gussied up for Fitzy by spending over a hundred dollars on a new dress."<p>

"Hanna, it's our first date and he told me that he's taking me into the city to see an art museum and then to a nice Italian restaurant." Aria was already nervous and her lifetime friend was not helping at all. She wanted Hanna to lay off the unnecessary commentary on her new relationship and just help her find a casual yet elegant dress to wear for the evening.

Spencer rolled her eyes underneath her reading glasses as she continued to skim through a fashion magazine, the golden rims sliding down her narrow nose, "First impressions are the most important, Hanna." She raised her eyebrow at her friend, "What was your first date with Caleb like? Oh yeah. _It was in a tent._"

The blonde's cheeks flushed deep scarlet and she protested, "That was so much more different than this situation, Spence!"

Emily inquisitively asked, her dark coffee brown eyes narrowed with mischief, "How exactly? You two were obviously giving one another the impression that you liked each other. That's why you had sex in a tent after being together for less than a week with owls' hooing in the background and squirrels as your audience."

Aria finally spoke up as she slipped on a v-neck violet dress with lighter shades of the color traveling down the fabric. It was about knee-length and it fit pretty nicely, "Hey cut her some slack, guys. That was when she was sixteen. She's clearly moved on from that jerk of a grease ball. She seems to like Elijah just fine."

"Thank you, Aria, for being my voice of reason. Hallelujah, I have a supporter here." Hanna's light voice became cheery again, filled with a small giggle, "Now come out so we can take a look at you and see if we can give you the stamp of approval." She worked for the local boutique in Rosewood as a designer and her fashion sense was off the charts impressive. She wore name brand clothes and had limited broaches and bags at all times. She wasn't a rich snob though; she tried her best and then even more than her best sometimes. She was dedicated to her job and that was earning her a shining name in the fashion industry, especially in New York.

Aria stepped out of the dressing room in the maybe dress, twirling in a little circle as she did so. Emily seemed to like it by the two thumbs up that she was giving her, but by the looks on the other girl's faces, she knew that this was not the dress for her, "Oh come on. This is the fifth dress we've tried on! There has to be one that all of us approve."

Hanna inspected the material of the new dress that she was wearing, feeling the fabric in concentration before shaking her head, "It's too thin. You'll be sweating through it by the end of the art show thing."

Spencer thought for a moment, gazing into space and then went across the aisle, removing a strapless crimson red dress from the rack. It looked like Aria's size, if not an extent larger than her small frame. It would sit right above her knees and she actually liked the way that it caught the fluorescent light, "How about this one?"

Hanna squealed in excitement, 'That dress is freaking flawless. Material, color, length, everything! This is the one, I know it!" She took it from her friend in turn to only to give it to Aria, rushing her into the dressing room and shutting it closed, "Now let's just see how it looks on you!" She beamed with a bright grin and glanced at Spencer, "How did you even know where to look for it?"

Her friend shrugged, "I have a good eye, I guess." She turned back to her magazine with a humorous shake to her head.

A few minutes later, Aria stepped out of the dressing room, the red dress clinging tightly yet comfortably to her slim figure. The cherry color of it gleamed and she did another twirl to show off the dress to her friends. Emily whistled, "Wowza, Ar. You look hotter than a habanera pepper!" At that comment they all burst out laughing and the black-hair girl shook her head with a wide grin, 'I used that pickup line on Samara a long time ago in the college bar where we met. We've been together ever since."

They all laughed again and Hanna clapped enthusiastically, "I told you! This one is it." She continued to bounce around, as though she was more excited than Aria was about finding the right dress for her and Ezra's first date, "We found the dress. We found the dress. We found the dress."

"_I _found the dress, you mean?" Spencer teasingly reminded her.

"Shut up!"

She ignored their arguing, "So, what one should I go with? I want to make sure that Ezra likes it, too. His opinion matters to me." Aria fretted, butterflies rising in her stomach again as she remembered that their first date was tonight. Were they ready to take that big step in their relationship? _Well we have to do it eventually, so why not get it over with?_

Spencer was the one who answered with the most clarified and dignified English after their blonde friend kept jumping around, singing her little song like a six year old, "Go with the red one. Be bold." She spun Aria around again and smiled, "You look amazing. Ezra will love it."

Hanna finally regained her composure and she strutted back over to the other three young women, "Almost he'll love ripping it off of you after your date tonight."

The sexual thoughts from earlier today in her apartment began to creep back into her mind and she shook them away as much as she could. She began to squirm uncomfortably as she replied with a hardened tone, "It's our first date, Hanna. We're definitely not having sex tonight. It's not that I wouldn't want to but…he wants to take this thing slow and I agreed that we would."

Emily raised her eyebrows in surprise, "_He _wants to take it slow? That's pretty unusual for a guy to do." She eyed her friend narrowedly, "Are you sure he's not just saying that?"

She nodded as-a-matter-of-factly "No I am pretty sure what my boyfriend said. He doesn't want to rush into things like we did before. Plus, he's very traditional. He's a type who probably is remaining abstinent until he's married."

Spencer nodded, "I agree. He just doesn't seem like the type to expect sex on a first date."

Hanna, who had obviously been ignoring their lecture and the rest of the conversation, slipped her hand into one of the many compartments of her limited edition purse and pulled out three condoms, holding them out to her, "Here, take them. Just in case that he doesn't come prepared." A chuckle ripped through her and she placed the contraception into Aria's own purse.

She glared at her, "I already told you: Ezra and I are _not _having sex tonight." She slipped back into the dressing room to get changed into her street clothes. A thought planted in her mind as she began to think seriously about this. What if Ezra really was expecting it tonight? He did promise just earlier that he wanted to space everything out, including their first time. He would never pressure her into something that she didn't want to do.

_Would he?_

* * *

><p>"Sorry, I just need a breath of fresh air." Ezra apologized to Aria as he led her outside the Philadelphia Art Museum where their first date was. The air had cooled off a bit and he wore only a pair of black slacks and a white silk tie with the tie that Aria had suggested he wore, "It sure gets stuffy near those exhibits."<p>

She shot him a warm smile and he felt his heart flutter at such a sight as she replied, "It's cool." She took a deep breath of fresh air and then led it out, "Okay. We both got one. Let's head back inside now." They both laughed and she shook her head, "The artist didn't show up anyway. Do you want to just head to the restaurant?"

"That sounds good." They walked down the steps and then down the sidewalk, "I can't believe the artist was a no show."

"Right? If someone decided to throw me a party with champagne and crab cakes to celebrate my work, I would at least try and stop by." Her red dress clung to her already small figure and Ezra was again taken aback at how magnificent she looked just for their first date. She wore two inch heels that gave her a bit of a height boost, but he was still more than half a foot taller than her. Her brunette hair swirled around her face the light breeze of the humid summer day. She was just beautiful; simple as he could possibly put it.

"Yeah." He laughed, "If it were my work, I would show up even if they put out folding chairs and sweaty cheese." They shared another laugh, leaning against one another tenderly. He resisted the urge to reach out and wrap a tentative arm around her waist as they walked down the busy sidewalk of Phillie, the stars just beginning to come out. The faint outline of a full moon hung high in the moon. The dimming light glinted against his date's hair and he willed himself to not stare.

"Well, plus, I'd be there." She softly reminded him, her voice gentle and full of warmth; almost as warm as the August air.

"True." He smiled down at her before continuing to walk down the sidewalk, "Are you disappointed, that the artist didn't show up?"

"No." Aria's answer was simple and quick and he glanced at her as she continued, "The only person I cared about seeing is here."

Ezra felt her hand entwine with his, their fingers interlacing. The action brought goose bumps and sparks flying up his arms and down his spine. His smile widened at her touch and they exchanged a warm grin as they continued down their path to the Italian restaurant. He suddenly got the aching urge to kiss her. He stopped dead in his tracks, "We're forgetting something." He pulled her gently into his body, his other hand caressing the small of her back.

Her eyes told him that she knew what he meant, "And what would that be, Mr. Fitz?"

"I think you can guess." He whispered against her mouth. He then leaned in to press his lips to hers.

Immediately, sparks went off in his mind like the fourth of July. He held her tighter to him. His tongue begged for entrance into her mouth as it slid along her lower lip and she allowed it, twining her arms around his neck and digging her fingers into his dark brown curls. His tongue ran over the roof of her mouth, over her teeth and then to fight for dominance with hers.

If there was anything better than kissing Aria, then he didn't want to find it. There was nothing he could ever think of being better than having no space between them and no secrets between them. He loved the kiss. He loved the first date. He loved her. _He truly loved her. _The thought of falling so fast her scared him as they continued to exchange spit on the sidewalk, but he decided to shove it out of his mind for the time being.

Finally they pulled away from one another, fighting for breath. They peered into one another's eyes, leaning their foreheads together. Ezra panted out, "Did you feel that, too?"

Her mouth opened to say something, but before she could answer his question, someone called out her name, "Aria? Is that you?" A man a little bit shorter than Ezra was identifying her and he asked again, "Aria Montgomery?" He stepped out of the dim shadows of the colonial buildings and revealed who he was. His spiky dark blonde hair and copper brown skin glinted in the moonlight that was lying across the city. His huge chocolate brown eyes glimmered with friendliness. His tattoos were visible on his bare forearm and shoulders as he only wore a tight tank shirt. His pants were ripped but at least they were being held up properly by a belt.

Ezra's heart sank as he pulled away from his girlfriend and faced the man that he hoped that he would never have to see again.

Hayden.

**Cliffhanger! **

**Now, this was a very long filler chapter, but you know what? Chapter 10 is going to be a real game changer. I am not kidding. The following chapter is going to blow every one of you reader's minds and it's my favorite. Not even kidding. I've been drafting it since If I Knew Then ever even got written down and I am itching to start to truly put it on paper. I am really looking forward to sharing it with you. **

**Now, I am not one to beg for reviews but on the last update, I only received eight. That chapter was over 7,000 words long. And this one is right around that range too. So, please do a writer a favor and review. They truly make my day and I am always humbled by what you guys have to say about the story. Plus, we're almost to a hundred with only eight chapters. Let's get it to 110 this time! That's only 113 reviews that have to be received.**

**As always, when you review, constructive criticism and not burning. **

**You guys are amazing and thank you for reading. I am truly blessed. Thank you again and see you soon with Chapter 110: A Summer Night in August. **


	10. A Summer Night in August

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 10**

**A Summer Night in August**

* * *

><p><em>On a summer night in August <em>

_In the backseat of my car_

_Instead of trying to get to know you_

_I took it way too far_

* * *

><p>Aria's heart could've stopped and froze over right there at that moment because she was so in shock. Just moments before, she had been kissing her new boyfriend and enjoying the first date of their relationship. Now she was staring at a face that she'd said goodbye to six and a half months ago when their relationship and short-term engagement ended. It was like looking in the eyes of her past that she was trying to move on from.<p>

Hayden.

He hadn't changed all too much since the last time she saw him. His dirty dark blonde hair was a bit lighter from the hot summer sun, the shade of the spikes that covered his head almost the color of her friend, Hanna's long locks. He lost a little weight and his muscles were tighter underneath his naturally copper brown skin. Though he wore a belt, his ripped blue jeans sat lowly on his hips, revealing a peek of his navy boxers. His chestnut ginger eyes blinked friendly at her, but she knew by his facial expression that he was surprised to see her with Ezra.

Not in a good way either.

By the way that he gripped her hand, Aria knew that Ezra was upset and angry at her ex's appearance on their first date together, his stance growing protective by each passing second. His agile body was tense, blue eyes smoldering with frustrated indigo depths. Hayden was not his favorite person on the planet, not even by a long shot. She knew that he never wanted to see him again after what she told him about him cheating on her.

She didn't really want to see Hayden either. She thought that the last time they would talk would be the day they said goodbye all those months ago in February. Her relationship with him was done and over with; she was looking for a fresh start. And she was getting that by being with Ezra. He was her new horizon. He was the one she looked to when she needed someone to lean on. She would turn around and there he was. _I'm not going to take him for granted again. I'm going to make sure nothing comes between us again; he's too important for me to even thinking about leave again. _

Aria smiled softly as she quickly remembered of the prior two weeks: hanging out on the rooftop of the apartment building, just wrapped up in one another's company. Ezra coming up those three flights of stairs almost every day to make sure that nothing was broken in her apartment. Cooking for her though he only knew three or four different dishes and making jokes about it later on. She felt more at home with him than she had with any of her previous boyfriends _combined. _He was _hers _and she had to make sure that she didn't do anything to screw that up and send him off running again.

Hayden's gravelly voice brought her back to the unfortunate reality, "Wow, It sure is nice to see you, Aria. You're looking as drop dead gorgeous as ever." His tone was sweet, but she knew him too well not to detect the bitterness beneath the surface, radiating with anger and jealousy, which he had no right to express since he was the one who decided to cheat and damage the relationship that they built for two years beyond repair, "Even more of a surprise to see you two together."

She opened her mouth to speak but Ezra cut her off with an annoyed tone to his voice, his whole stature tense, "Well, surprises are everywhere. Some are a huge shocker and others are just common sense." He shook his head, the curly locks of his dark brown hair springing against his forehead, "Like how it was common sense for me to know that you would cheat on her. I knew you were stupid enough to throw away the chance to be with a one of a kind woman like her, but I didn't know the ignorance would be so severe that you would come all the way down here to try and _attempt _to get her back." His hand tightened on hers, though not enough to hurt. It was comforting. It made her feel safe.

Hayden narrowed his gaze, the large chocolate pools as thin as slits, "How did I know that she would come back down here for you? Now _that _was common sense. Hate to break it to you, pal, but you two knew one another for less than three days. You don't know Aria like I do."

She watched as her boyfriend's jaw clenched, his cobalt eyes dark with anger, "You freaking _cheated _on her! You were with her for two years and then you just threw away her like yesterday's lunch! You could've spent the rest of your life with someone like Aria, but you ruined it with your own selfish desires."

The Chicago native stepped closer to them, but Ezra intercepted him, taking a firm stance in front of Aria as if to protect her. Hayden rolled his eyes, but tried to size himself up, making up for the two inch difference between the two of them, looking straight up into the eyes of his new rival, "Ezra, buddy, I think we both know the saying, 'boys will be boys'." He looked over his shoulder at Aria with a tender smile, "I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't even intend for it to happen. But it did and I'm sorry. I came down here to apologize and try to convince you to come home to Chicago …with me. We can work out our problems and go back to the way it was before. I'm not evening seeing her anymore. We broke up right after you took off in June."

Aria couldn't believe what she was hearing. Hayden was the one who threw away the relationship the moment he hopped into bed with that woman. He was acting as if he hadn't been a complete ass and cheated on her six months ago. Couldn't he see that she was happy? Either he was blind or he was trying to pretend like she wasn't looking at Ezra with the same love and affection that she had looked at him with, "Hayden….Can't you see that I'm over this whole thing? I've forgiven you and I've moved on. I am trying to start over and it's quite selfish of you to come all the way down here from Chicago to try and make me come back." She shook her head, "Please don't make me choose between you two. You know who I'm going to choose."

He shook his head and pointed up at Ezra who shoved his finger away with an angry swipe of his hand, "You're not really willing to give me another chance?" He chuckled darkly, "That's not the Aria I loved for two years. He's already changed you."

It was Ezra's turn to speak, "Maybe you're the one who changed her. And the real Aria is finally showing through. Don't make her choose, Hayden. Go back to Chicago and live your life apart from her. It's can't be that big of a deal since you already walked away once."

Hayden looked taken aback at the way he was speaking to him, but he wasn't willing to back down because of his enormous ego. He shook his head again, "Well, whoever Aria chooses then. And I know her better than you do, buddy. So why don't you just walk away from this right now?"

If Aria hadn't been there, Ezra would have hit him, she guessed by the increasing anger that she could tell that he was feeling, but the hold her hand must have stopped him from jumping at the younger man's throat. He glanced over at her with narrowed eyes. The volume of his voice was only loud enough for them to hear, "I'm lot losing you to him again. I can't let him turn this into something that's wrong. I just can't. I can't." While her eyes filled with tears at the sound of his voice so broken and hallow, he rose it, his shoulders tightening and the blue orbs of his eyes burning a fury-filled indigo lava, "Hayden, I will give you one chance to walk away from this and if you don't take it, I will not, under any circumstances, let her go without a fight. I lost her once for over half of a year, so you better be willing to fight for her as much as I am."

"It's on."

Before any punches could be thrown, Aria stepped in front of the two men. She looked at Hayden right in the eyes and gestured with the hand that wasn't clasping her boyfriend's to a nearby wooden bench about a block away, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He nodded with an overly confident look on his face as if he was totally oblivious to the already obvious answer, "Anything for you my sweets." The old nickname was a jab at Ezra and he looked like he was about to strangle Hayden at that moment, but for Aria, it was bittersweet, a reminder of all the good times they had together but also a reminder of a now insignificant part of her life; the past, ancient history, irrelevant….

Ezra watched him go to the sidewalk with a narrowed gaze as his new rival plopped down in his sagging torn blue jeans. As soon as there was distance between the two, he took Aria's hands in both of his. His expression was pained but his blue eyes were clear and gentle; it was calming at the moment. Like swimming in a stream or riding on a boat across a lake. That's when she realized that they were filled with unshed tears and one of her own fell from her eyelids, rolling down her cheek. Her boyfriend swiped it away with a tender stroke of his thumb and he looked at her with tightly knitted eyebrows as if he was concerned, "Aria, there's no need to cry. No need at all. Whatever your decision is, I'm going to fight for you until I breathe my last breath. Because that's what you do when you're in love with someone."

Those words stopped her heart for a moment before she finally took in a breath of air and more blood was pumped through her body, "What did you just say, Ezra? Did you say that you loved me?"

He nodded as if it was obvious, "I love you more than I say. I know we've only been together for two weeks, but over the past nine months, I've had a lot of time to think about you. Almost too much. I realized that night that you called in February that I was utterly in love with you. I didn't want to be. I didn't want to fall for someone that I couldn't have, but I did." He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, "I didn't want to tell you until I thought the time was right. But I feel that _right now is_ the time that it feels the most right. You don't have to say it back, but I just had to tell you how I feel about you. And that is that I feel as though you've taken me into your hands and turned me into Silly Putty." He took a deep breath before kissing the tip of her nose and murmuring around the thin surface of her skin, "I love you, Aria."

She smiled softly at the way he said it, the tone of his voice so soft and loving that she melted like a Popsicle the moment she heard it. She ran her hand over the baby hairs on the back of his neck, her breath heavy on his face as she sighed happily, "I love you, too."

He broke out into a wide boyish smile and he looked at her with wide and questioning eyes, "You're not just saying that because I did, are you?"

"I don't say things like that unless I truly mean them, Ezra. The truth is that the moment I saw you when I knew that I was going to fall _hard _for you. You're probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know that we lost one another for all those months, but let's make up for them while we still can, alright?"

"Anything for you, Aria." He said sweetly and was just about to give her a kiss when something, or more appropriately _someone, _interrupted the moment in its tracks.

Hayden called out from hi on the bench about thirty or so feet away, his tone annoyed, "Are you coming or what?"

Ezra cracked a grin before pressing a soft kiss to Aria's lips, his fingers fluttering at the back of her neck, twining into the locks of long brunette hair. The embrace was filled with passion and it threw her off on how much of a magnet was pushing them together, sparks going off like the fourth of July. She loved the feeling of kissing him. She felt whole with him there. He was her rock, her safe place, her savior, her boyfriend_, her soulmate. _

Their lips reluctantly separated as they leaned their foreheads together, their breathing heavy and in sync with one another's. His thumb brushed a loose lock of her hair behind her ear, causing goose bumps to crawl across her cheek. He gave her a lingering and lustful look as she pulled herself from his arms, their interlocked fingers torn apart.

Hayden sent another heated glare in Ezra's direction as his ex-girlfriend slowly sat beside him on the wooden sidewalk bench, her extra one hundred pounding causing the old plywood, "What was all _that _about?"

"He's my _boyfriend_, Hayden. We can do a little PDA every once in a while without your permission, now can't we?" She retorted before sighing and looking at his all too familiar face. His deep set and wide dark brown eyes blinked back at her, his long eyelashes fluttering over them. In a three second flashback she remembered all the good times that they had together. She had loved him _then_ before the whole engagement and the adulterous affair he had had with that woman back in February.

Now she was moving on from that with Ezra whom she was sure she was going to spend the rest of her life with.

"Hayden, why did you even come back? Did you honestly think that you could just come and pick me up like I am some kind of child after her first day of kindergarten? You're the one who cheated, not me."

He snorted and glanced at Ezra once more with narrowed eyes before turning back to her, even more annoyed than before, "So that kiss at the bus station back when we got to Rosewood in November _wasn't_ cheating on me?"

_Ezra gave her another tight smile, as if he didn't know what to say. After a long moment, she stretched up and pressed her lips to his cheek before he could even think. She separated herself from almost immediately and slipping his book into the pocket of his jacket, "Goodbye, Ezra."_

_He started to turn away, but within a three second period, he whipped back around, taking a step closer to Aria, ducking his head and pressing his lips roughly to hers, leaning her up against the car. Aria's body untensed and she knotted her fingers into his hair. His tongue traced her bottom lip and she allowed it entrance into her mouth, probing it with her own. _

_After a few moments, they finally pulled away from one another. Ezra pressed one last kiss to her soft lips before just looking down at her with lustful blue eyes. She smiled sweetly up at him, brushing a loose lock of his wet curly hair back into place. _

_He whispered a hushed, "Goodbye, Aria." _

What in the hell just happened_? __Aria asked herself as she watched Ezra walk back to his car. His touch had left more than just a damp feeling from the late afternoon rain on her skin; he left a pleasurable sting on every single part of her body._

_He turned back toward her with a glance over his shoulder. She threw him a flirtatious smile and a tiny wave. His boyish grin flashed across his face and he waved back before turning to his brother, who was waiting near his car._

Aria's mind flashed to and from all those days ago in November where she and Ezra had kissed goodbye in the Rosewood Bus Station parking lot. Hayden had been inside getting a snack and going to the bathroom. She never even considered the fact that he could've been watching them the whole time during the exchange. Dread and guilt filled her. She never second guessed it. Was that the reason why Hayden had gone back to Chicago to cheat on her, to get back at her for that kiss with Ezra?

Hayden knew that he made a point and struck a chord as his ex fell silent and he smirked sadly at her as he continued, "That kiss was filled with sexual tension that I had asked you about that one night in the hotel room. And you told me that there had been _none_. You lied to me to protect your own ass." He bit down on his bottom lip and Aria thought that she saw the bravado fade to genuine hurt on his face, "It looked like you both enjoyed it, especially you. Then when he walked away….when he walked away, you looked at him in a way that you had never looked at me. I knew there had been chemistry between you two the moment he sat down that first day on the bus. From that moment on, I was determined not to lose you to a _stranger_." He swallowed hard before continuing, "That's why I proposed to you when I did. I was going to show him who loved you more."

A random yet relevant thought came to her at that moment, "Have you ever heard the story of King Solomon and the two women who both claimed a baby boy as their son?" She asked him, knowing that he wouldn't know what she was talking about; Hayden wasn't raised in a religious home and she wasn't either. She went to Sunday school as a child but stopped attending after about four months. It's not that she was against Christianity or anything; she actually found it very interesting and meaningful. Her parents grew out of that phase and didn't bother to wake up for Sunday service every week. Even though that was years ago, she still remembered many of the biblical scriptures and stories from those few months she attended.

To no surprise, Hayden shook his head, his face completely confused on why she would bring the subject up, "I haven't heard it. Sorry."

"King Solomon was the wisest man in the entire Bible. He proved that he had this gift when a situation once crossed his path. Two women came to him with a baby, both claiming that he was her son. Solomon said that to solve the problem, he would have the baby cut in half-"

Her ex-boyfriend interrupted her recollection of the old story, his already brown eyes wide with shock, "Wait a minute and rewind real quick. What 'wise man' would cut an innocent child in half?"

Aria shook her head in annoyance, "You're misunderstanding it. You'll get it once I tell the entire thing, alright?" He nodded and with a dragged on sigh, she continued, "One of the women seemed fine with it, but the other refused to let that happen and she was willing to give her son up to make sure that he was safe, even if he wasn't with her. Solomon did that to stir her heart and to prove who the real mother was. No real mother would _ever _let their child be torn into two."

Hayden nodded in understanding, but with a slight chuckle, he then asked, "Not to be rude or anything, but what was the whole point to this Sunday school lesson?"

"What you said five minutes ago about you loving me more than Ezra is hard for me to believe. You thought that shoving our engagement down his throat showed that you were the bigger man?" Her voice rose in frustration, "Hayden, I told you this story because in this case, it was _Ezra_ who gave me up. He was the real mother in this situation. He watched me run off to get married to you. He wanted the best for me and he went out of his way to make sure that our paths wouldn't cross again because he didn't want to make me feel like I was torn between you two. He was the one _willing _to give me up." She paused before continuing, the tone of her voice growing cold, "And don't you dare say that I cheated on you! We may have kissed, but I didn't on my feelings for Ezra until two weeks ago. So, just shut the hell up!"

His jaw clenched angrily and his hands rolled up into tight fists, the tendons in his arm looking as though they were about to burst through his skin, "I may have changed from where I was when we were engaged, but it's obvious that you've changed too. The old Aria, the one that I feel in love with, wouldn't even be talking about this."

"I've changed a lot. I'm happier because I trust Ezra unlike how I could never fully trust you." She shook her head again as he grew angrier and angrier, "You haven't changed at all. If you had, you wouldn't have come to take me back with you as if I can't make my own decisions. I'm happy. Why can't you see that? Because you're a complete jackass. It just took me over two years to figure that out." She paused to take a breath, "I already told you. I'm over you. I'm over our relationship. I'm not going back to Chicago with you. Not in a million years."

All of a sudden, his hand went across her face, leaving a welt and a red mark on her cheek. She flinched away, tears threatening to spill over her eyelids as the sting from the blow began to settle in. He always said that no matter how frustrated he got, he would never hit a woman. _Then again he said that he'd never hurt me either. _She thought as she cradled her cheek with both of her hands, shielding herself from him.

An enraged voice came from behind her, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She peeked up to watch as Ezra came bounding over, pulling Hayden up to his feet and shoving him backwards toward a wall of an old furniture store. His facial expression almost frightened her. It only showed deeply enriched anger, his blue eyes burning furiously, "Get the hell away from her."

Hayden looked scared to death as he managed to stutter out, "I-I didn't mean to I just-"

Ezra interrupted him, even angrier than before, "Do you think that it's okay to hit a woman? More importantly do you think I'll even hesitate kicking your skinny ass for touching her?" Before he could even give him a chance to answer, her boyfriend continued, his eyes filled with an indescribable emotion of rage burning in the indigo depths, "Get out of here. Go back to Chicago and don't look back. And if I ever see you within even five miles of her, I will break every goddamn bone in you body."

Hayden looked fearful, but he tried his best to stand his ground, all muscles flexing underneath the tight fabric of his shirt as he tried to size Ezra up, "You think you're so great and high up, don't you? Well, I'll clarify this again for you, Fitzy: you don't know anything about her except the fact that she's an unfaithful little bitch."

That was when Ezra shoved him into a wall, using every muscle in his arms that he had built up over the past nine months, "Your first strike was hitting my girlfriend. Your second strike was for calling me Fitzy. And your third strike was calling her that." He angrily shook his head as his rival tried to get back to his feet, legs shaking, "I know her better than you can even imagine. Unlike you, I know how to remain faithful to a woman instead of being a dick and cheating on her the first time another woman wearing a low cut top walks in my direction."

Hayden's fist went hopelessly toward Ezra's face, but he ducked just before it met his nose. He then swung his own arm and hit him square in the lip. Blood spurted from his mouth and he stumbled backward, his eyes blinking furiously as though he was trying to shake off the hard blow. He wiped the scarlet liquid from his chin and glared at Ezra who was standing readily and protectively in front of Aria. He backed away from the couple, fear and anger clear on his face, "You little-"

Ezra took a step toward him, yelling, "Get out of here! And don't even think about coming back again!" The younger man jumped and ran away from them down the sidewalk, ripped blue jeans sliding down his hips as he struggled to put distance between them. Once he rounded the corner and out of sight, Ezra turned to Aria, stroked her hurt cheek softly, his eyes calming down by each passing second, filling with sincere concern, "Are you alright? I couldn't tell how hard he hit you from where I was standing. All I wanted to was-"

Her lips silenced his rant with a firm but quick kiss, her arms wrapping around him, holding him in a tight hug. Once they separated, she smiled into his dress shirt, her head snugly against his dress shirt, "Thank you for doing that. And yes, I am perfectly fine."

He pulled away and looked down at her affectionately, "I would never let _anyone _hurt you, especially not that poor excuse of a man. Why does that school even allow him near children with that temper of his?" He kissed her again, his lips gentle against her trembling ones, his fingers caressing her bruising cheek.

As always, fireworks shot through her as she clung tighter to her boyfriend. His body was solid against her much smaller and petite one. He was such a warm person as if he was her own personal sun. She felt so comfortable with him in his strong and comforting eyes, her fingers entwined in his dark brown hair, the wavy curls resting against her palms. Sparks went off in her find and soon she was seeing stars from the intense passion between them as the kiss dragged on and on…

When they pulled away from one another, but still within arm's length, he took her hand in his, giving the top of it a kiss, "Do you want to go to the restaurant now?" Her stomach rumbled with hunger and she nodded. He smiled widely, all of his pearly white teeth flashing back at her, causing the usual hoard of butterflies to shoot through her, "We better head that way then. We may have missed our reservations thanks to an interruption by Hayden Antonio Garcia, the certified jackass of Chicago."

Aria laughed and leaned her forehead against his, her breath against his lips. He was one of a kind. He was the sweetest man to walk the planet. He was willing to do anything for her.

He was _hers._

* * *

><p>The storm broke just as Ezra and Aria were walking back to the apartment building from Leon's Cupcakes from down the road. It'd been clouding up on the way back from Philly but the rain didn't begin until the couple was walking out from underneath the canopy of the small bakery. Aria screamed as the rain came pouring down on them and Ezra laughed affectionately at her, giving her a small kiss on the cheek.<p>

He raised his voice so then she could hear him over the noise from the thunder, "What do you want to do? Do you want me to get us a cab?"

"This late at night in Rosewood? None will be running!" She yelled back at him, her hair soaked from the heavy precipitation. It was a moment before her face lit up and she turned to him with a sheepish grin, "Want to run for our lives back to the apartment building? It'd be _romantic." _

He cracked a smile and gave her another kiss, only this time it was on her wet forehead, lips lingering against the clammy skin, "What kind of girl did I fall in love with?" They both laughed and he took her hand in his, "Let's do it. On the count of three…"

"One."

"Two."

"Three!" The two young people screamed as they launched themselves into the wet street together, hands entwined. They were both soaked within five seconds. Neither of them cared though. As long as they were with one another, nothing seemed to compare to that. They could be anywhere and do anything, yet still be content. They were just two kids in love. They were just boyfriend and girlfriend. They were just two destined soulmates.

Suddenly, Ezra got an idea. He scooped Aria into his arms and with her excited screams for him to let her down back onto the ground, he ran with her, his breathing heavy as he carried her extra one hundred pounds, doing his best not to trip and fall. He couldn't think of anything worse than falling on the cool ground with his girlfriend in his arms.

They finally reached the parking lot and Aria found a way to slip from his grasp, her entire small body covered in the cool precipitation, "You scared the hell out of me when you did that. Now you owe me." She pointed at the ground before continuing her demand of him, "I want a piggyback ride all the way up the stairs to your apartment." When he looked like he was going to protest, she cut him off, "You're strong, Ezra. Think of me trying to help you train."

He sighed and then muttered, "Anything for you, my darling." He bent down and felt her slip onto his back. He actually liked the feeling of it. He felt closer to her in some strange way. He glanced over his shoulder at her, tightening his grip on her bare legs, holding them to hook around his hips. He began running once more, leaping over the ledge of the sidewalk that bordered their apartment building. He hit the buzzer and waited a moment before the door unlocked and he launched himself up the stairs, trying not to make it too obvious that this was one of the best moments of his life.

They made it one flight of steps before he was breathless and he stumbled over the last step, but he caught himself before they both fell. Aria laughed at the incident and pressed her lips against the thin surface of his neck, "Come on, _Mr. Fitz. _Take me back to your apartment and punish me as you will. I'll make it up to you." She murmured lustfully.

Ezra's heart began to pound. Did Aria really expect for them to sleep together tonight, right after their first date? It wasn't like he was some kind of virgin who was scared of losing his innocence before his honeymoon night as he lost his virginity his senior year of high school. And he was sure that she and Hayden had had sex before, much to his disgust. He didn't enjoy it as much as he thought he would. He wanted to wait for his relationship with Aria though. But what if she was _really _determined on getting busy between the sheets of his apartment bed that night? Would he be able to resist her or would he given into her sexual advances on him?

If they were really meant to be, they would be able to wait, wouldn't they?

As he thought of this, Aria's nipping at his neck was only getting harder and harder, causing him to moan in pleasure as they approached the third floor. Her lips were soft yet hungrily against the soft skin, leaving a future trail of hickies in their wake. He found himself growing increasingly harder below the waist. He squirmed underneath her and let her slip from his back. He kept his abdomen faced away from her to avoid embarrassment as he unlocked the door from the spare key underneath the welcome mat and opened it for them.

It didn't work. She noticed and she shook her head with a smile on her face, her hazel eyes drowning him with each passing moment as they plopped down together on the leather couch, "Ezra…" She inched closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his in a quick kiss before telling him in a soft murmur, one of her hands brushing against his shaven cheek, "You don't have to be embarrassed about. I'm actually kind of flattered that you feel that strongly about me."

Ezra blushed, but held her tighter, ignoring the fact that he was as hard as a rock, "I'm sorry. I just don't want you to get the wrong impression that I am planning to act on it. I'm not exactly that type of guy that forces you to do something that you don't want to do after the first date."

Now it was her time to turn a little pink in the cheeks, "Like I would get that impression from something as innocent and normal as this. I know that you would never make me do anything like that especially since I want you more than anything right now."

His eyes widened and he looked at her, his whole body tense against hers, "Are you serious?"

She nodded, her eyes growing lustful and her voice dripping seduction as she said, "I feel tied to you in every way possible; physical, emotional, mental. I don't know how you cast such a spell on me, but I don't want to break it. Not now, not ever." Her boyfriend fell silent for a moment and she rubbed his arm as if to calm him, "Ezra, are you okay?"

He continued to look at her, stroking her long brunette hair with his fingers, his boyish smile making its way across his brightening face, "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" They stared at one another for three long moments before he finally leaned in to kiss her, his body pressed firmly against hers.

This kiss was different though. It wasn't as if it was the fourth of July and sparks were going off. It was if it was every holiday, birthday, special occasion he had every experienced in his life all wrapped into one big bundle of affection, passion, and sexual lust. They weren't kissing as if it was just for the moment. They kissed as though it was their only time to. The magnets between them pulled them together.

Ezra's hand slipped underneath her blue jean jacket as their lips were still locked. Her tongue had found a way to probe his lips open and run it over the roof of her mouth. His hand brushed against the zipper and broke away from his girlfriend to receive a nod of approval from her. She nodded and went back to kissing him, her own fingers unknotting his red plaid tie to get to the buttons of his dress shirt. She mumbled against his lips, "Are we really going to do this, Ezra?"

He leaned back and swept a loose lock of her hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek with his thumb, "We don't have to if you don't want to. I want to be sure that you're completely okay with this."

"No, trust me, I do want to. I was making sure that _you _want to." She reached up and brushed his messy and wet curls back into place.

"Once we go here there is no going back. We only have one shot at this and then it's done. If you want to wait or if you're unsure, now would be the time to-"His lecture was again interrupted by the crashing of their lips. That abruptly ended the conversation. There was no need for words between them when all they needed was their two bodies and each other.

They slowly made their way to the bed, their clothes left in a messy pile behind them. Aria's jacket and dress fell smoothly from her body, leaving her naked and vunerable besides a pair of lace underwear. Ezra had never seen anyone or anything so magnificent in his life and he took her into his arms as she helped him to slip out his shirt, leaving him without a shirt. He only wore his dress pants, though she was quick to change that. She seductively ran her hand over his belt buckle and slowly unstrapped it.

He couldn't help but moan inside of her mouth, his eyes heavy. He'd never felt something wonderful in his life. When he was eighteen, neither he nor his girlfriend had known what they were doing. Now that he was older, he knew what he was doing and he knew what he wanted. He wanted Aria. In every possible.

She finally stopped teasing him and slipped his pants down his legs, her skin brushing against him. He moaned again and she smiled against his lips, "Are you having fun there?"

He tackled her onto the bed into a position to where he was on top of her, his weight supported by his arm, "I am having more fun with you in one afternoon than I have had since I was a kid." He smiled back at her before diving in for another kiss. One of his hands hooked her leg around his waist, holding her close to him. He moved his lips to her neck, nipping and sucking on the thin skin that laid there. His lips trailed down her neck to her collarbone, his tongue trailing along her chest and then he moved his mouth back to hers.

Meanwhile, Aria's hands continued to tease him with his boxers. One of her fingers trailed the inside of his thigh and she grinned again as she finally rid them of the last barrier that was between them being completely intimate with each other. They fell against each other within a moment, their hips crashing along with the rhythm of their lips now. The storm outside seemed to drown their cries of lust. Aria's nails scraped down his back and he randomly nipped at places on her neck, leaving a trail of hickies in their wake. The rain continued to pour outside and claps of thunder rushed quickly after lightning as it lit up the late night August sky, but the couple ignored it. They continued to kiss and moan and murmur one another's names into one another's mouths. Their only concern was being there at that moment, tangled and twisted with one another in every way possible.

The fireworks didn't even seem like anything now. He couldn't feel anything other than Aria beneath him, her moans entering his mouth only to be answered with his own. The sparks had turned into something as big shooting stars. He was so excited to have her so close to him in every way humanly possible. Their hands moved up and down one another's bodies. Ezra did his best to keep his own above their heads where one of the many wall shelves was lined. He gripped it tightly as the couple continued to make sweet yet aggressive love to one another.

They didn't last longer than fifteen minutes. They wanted to go longer but they were both exhausted from the long day and Ezra was soon panting on the bed beside Aria, his agile and tired gleaming with heavy perspiration. He felt full and complete. That was like something he had never experienced in his life He didn't want anything more than to curl up with his girlfriend and just fall asleep with her beside him in the protection of his arms, only tangled in a thin white sheet and one another.

He kissed the tip of her nose, leaning his sweaty forehead against hers, "I wish you could stay over every night. I feel so much better with you beside me. It feels like I can do anything with you here."

She smiled and pressed her lips against the crevice of his shoulder as she snuggled into his arms, laying her head on his bare shoulder. One of her hands traced the outline of his abs and the other was entwined with her boyfriend's above their heads. Their clothes were strewn around the apartment, which was lit up by the ongoing storm. She didn't say anything more than a heavily breathed 'I love you'. She closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep, her breathing growing deeper and softer.

Ezra took this time of just staring at her as she slept, watching her face creep into the adventures of her dreams. He thought to himself, _Destiny is when you're willing to give everything up to be the one person you're completely and utterly in love with. Because you know at the end of the day even with all of those things lost, you still have them beside you. You have them beside you for the good and the bad. For the sunny days and the cloudy ones. On the ones when you feel like smiling and the others when you feel like crying and cursing at the world. They're there for all of that and still love you and support you no matter what. _

He stroked Aria's lightly bruised cheek with his thumb, giving it a gentle kiss. He would give anything to make sure that no one ever hurt her again. He was going to try and be her everything: her protector, her best friend, her boyfriend, _her soulmate. _He still didn't know if she felt the same for him as he did for her, but he had a pretty good feeling that they were going to be together for a very long time. A lifetime together sounded pretty damn good to him.

He thought of what just happened between them. They hadn't planned it. They had been acting a whim. _It was soon. Too soon. But I wouldn't take it back for a minute. _

_Not even for a minute. _

**That is Chapter 10 everybody!**

**Now I know what you're all probably thinking: _What in the actual heck was this chick thinking when she wrote this? These two have been dating for two weeks and they just got done having their first date. Why in the heck would she have them have sex so soon in their relationship? _Like I said before, I have been writing and drafting this chapter since I started outlining the entire story back in December. Yeah it was soon but with what I have planned for the rest of If I Knew Then, this had to be written. There will be drama, but Ezra and Aria are obviously soulmates. They'll work it out!**

**Hayden is officially gone. He won't be coming back in this story anytime soon. Then again there is always the sequel that I am already trying to outline….**

**A big thanks to the only RL reader I have, Haley. She's been a close friend of mine since we were six years old and she has been BEGGING me to update for the past week since she started reading IKT. It was her idea for the rain scene and when she told me this idea, I was floored on how much she sincerely loves Ezria (well duh, she's friends with me…That should be expected) as well as this story. So thanks, Shorty! I really appreciated it and here is your part of the AN that you begged me for. **

**By the way, another big thanks to all of you for reviewing. The goal of 110 was even exceeded. Y'all seriously rock. And please review on this one as well. As always, constructive criticism, no burning. Thanks again and I will see you all soon for the next update. Chapter 11: Took It Way Too Far.**


	11. Took It Way Too Far

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 11**

**Took It Way Too Far**

* * *

><p><em>On a summer night in August <em>

_In the backseat of my car_

_Instead of trying to get to know you_

_I took it way too far_

* * *

><p>The sweet tang of temporary bliss was strewn across the room, pieces of men's and women's clothing scattered beside a bed where two people laid, entangled in a single sheet and bare skin. One would think that there a spell cast on the both of them as they slept soundly, intertwined with one another. The faint sunrise shown through the thin curtains of the balcony window as it struggled to break the horizon, raindrops from the previous night's storm racing down the smooth glass. Birds chirped and sang. Everything seemed frozen at that moment. Nothing could break the trance that sat stilly in the small apartment.<p>

Aria began to stir, her hazel eyes slowly fluttering open. They darted around the familiar place as she fought to gather her thoughts. She knew what had happened the night before. The most perfect night of her life. It hadn't been planned by any means but it happened. Two consenting adults had been intimate the night before and Aria wouldn't take it back for anything else in the world.

She tried to leave the messy bed, but then she felt two strong and muscular arms wrapped around her, pinning her to the lanky masculine body of her boyfriend. She looked over her shoulder to see Ezra's adorable sleeping face, his wavy dark brown curls falling over his forehead. His body was shaking and at first, Aria didn't know why. That was when she realized that he was laughing in his slumber, a deep-throated chuckle that rolled through him like waves on a shoreline and that only she could hear.

She smiled softly as she quietly and carefully turned over so then when he woke, her face would the first one that he saw. She ran her finger smoothly down his cheek, the stubble like sandpaper against her skin. Her hand traveled to his chest and she fought to keep it there. Her heavy hazel eyes raked across his body. She'd seen him shirtless just two weeks before and yet, it didn't fail to make her blush and slightly surprised that such a laid back young man who read books and watched old movies after eating a hell of a lot Chinese takeout would have such a fit body. He ran a lot and he occasionally went to the gym, but it still shocked her. His stomach was ridged with subtle but still obviously noticeable abs. Pleasure washed over her as she ran her hand effortlessly over them, her cheeks growing redder and redder by each passing moment as she enjoyed marveling at how wonderful he looked at that moment, just completely open and vulnerable to her. He was lean, but certainly not skinny as she ran her fingers over the faint outline of his ribs that pressed against his skin.

Aria finally moved her right hand back up to Ezra's gentle face, stroking her boyfriend's stubby cheek, her mind beginning to race again. Going as far as they had the previous night hadn't been considered until they had gotten lost in the spur of the moment and though they used protection, a seed of a stomach churning scenario planted in her head. Some things still happened. An old classmate of hers had gotten pregnant right at the beginning of senior year and she had used protection with the father's baby; both of them had. Now, Aria and Ezra weren't high schoolers, but what if something had happened last night? What if the condom had broken? She'd been on birth control since she was seventeen. A baby though? A baby was a big responsibility. There were all the expenses, like diapers, formula, car seats, and doctor's appointments. Then there was the possibility that Ezra wouldn't want to be involved. He didn't seem like the type to do that, but who knew? Maybe he wasn't as perfect as she pictured him to be. Her stomach knotted at the idea and tears began to form in the orbs of her eyes, threatening to fall. The feeling of abandonment wasn't knew to her when it came to relationships, but she hated the thought of going through something as serious as parenthood without her child's father at her side the entire time, helping her along the way.

Then she realized that she was getting too ahead of herself. She wasn't pregnant and she shouldn't have to worry about something that was out of her realm of reality. The possibilities of all of this happening were very slim and besides, why not enjoy the time they had together? Whether it had been too soon for the relationship or not, it had easily been one of the best nights of her life. She couldn't remember one bad thing about their first time together. Everything had been perfect. She could still feel the fire burning within her stomach from when Ezra had kissed her. A new side of him had been revealed, a new aggressive side. His lips had still been sweet and loving, but with a sharp tang of desperation and aggression behind the embraces he had bestowed upon her. She remembered his hands caressing her legs, bringing them up to twine around his own. They had been made into one. They hadn't had sex the night before.

They had made love. Pure, sweet, and magical love.

Ezra's voice sent her back into present time, "Good morning." His blue eyes flickered open and he smiled as soon as he saw Aria's face, a flash of that boyish smirk that she loved more than anything else, "I like waking up to you beside me and in my arms. Something about it just feels right." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, his soft lips lingering on the thin surface of her skin, "How did you sleep?"

"I slept amazing. Like you said, it feels right," Aria replied with a wide smile as she pressed her lips to their tangled hands and then rested them between the two lovers, "right here."

"Mhmm, it sure does." His grin broadened and he held his girlfriend even closer to his body, his face now even closer to hers, leaving a draft of his musky yet sweet breath on her cheeks, causing them to redden even more, "I like having you here."

"Well, I never said I wasn't coming back. I personally love the idea of this couple-like bliss that we have going on right now." They both laughed and Aria was finally able to break free of his grasp, pushing herself up into a sitting position. That was when she remembered that she was completely naked underneath the white sheet and she clasped it to her chest in an effort to cover her exposure.

Ezra laughed and slipped out from underneath the fabric. Aria restrained herself from the temptation of looking over her shoulder as he slipped on the boxers that he had worn the previous night. He went to his dresser and opened a drawer. He pulled out one of his t-shirts and retreated back to his girlfriend. He sat it beside her on the bed before pressing a kiss to her mouth. When he tried to separate himself from her, she only pulled him back down by his shoulders, knotting her fingers in the curls of his dark brown hair.

He smiled around the embrace as he mumbled against her lips, "I love you." He supported his weight on his left arm as he slowly laid both of them back on the bed, his hand slipping underneath the sheet to caress her thighs rhythmically and she moaned in response into his mouth, her tongue probing his lips open. They remained kissing for a few moments before they reluctantly separated from one another, breathing heavily against one another. He leaned his forehead against hers before standing to his bare feet, his muscles flexing as he stretched them out, his joints cracking, "We have to get ready for the day. And as much as I love all of this morning romance, we can't lie in bed all day. I have to go to for my morning jog before running over to campus to start my lesson plans and you have an interview to attend to at that elementary school in Brookhaven."

Aria groaned as she stood up beside him, slipping on the t-shirt that he'd given to her in addition to a pair of his basketball shorts and at last allowing the sheet fall from her chest as her vulnerability was private once more. She smiled softly as she smelled the cotton fabric. The shirt smelled like Axe and cologne with a tang of sweat that must have never washed out. She was going to smell like her boyfriend all morning and she had absolutely no problem with that, "Do we have to do all that? You said yourself that you don't have to start planning for another week and I think you could miss one run. And I can always reschedule that interview. It wasn't the best time for the school board anyway and the benefits weren't that great-"

He interrupted her with a shake of his head and a stern facial expression on his face, "This is the first interview you've had out of all of the openings you've applied for and I don't want you to let it slip away just to go for a round two in my apartment. " They both laughed at this and blushed a little bit, "Plus, if it doesn't work out there, though they'd be crazy not to hire you, I know your dad has talked to the board at Hollis about letting you be a professor's assistant in the English department. It's a paid internship to say the very least."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Her father had mentioned something about an open position at Hollis, but she didn't think that he would actually recommend her, "Are you serious? Ezra, what if the assistant job ended up being in your lecture hall? Do you know how much time we could spend together if that happened? We'd be able to see each other every day and then come back here to our apartment building to spend even more time together! I better call Dad right and set up an interview with the head of the department-"

He cut her off with a small yet passionate kiss to her lips, his arms holding her to his lean body, "You are always so far ahead of yourself. Take a breath and enjoy today. We never know if we'll see even tomorrow." Silence was met with this comment and he sighed with a flash of his boyish smile at her, "You can't tell your dad that I told you. In case you don't remember, only four other people know about our relationship besides us; your three friends and your mother."

"And your brother knows about us, too, Ezra. Don't forget Kenneth." She reminded him, her fingers twining spirals in and around his curls.

"Oh yes. How could I forget that my 'perfect' older brother knows that we're in a relationship? That probably means half of my family knows by now." Ezra sighed again and leaned his forehead against hers, "I know we agreed to keep this private until we feel it's time to go public with it and I'm not saying that it will be easy to keep it a secret. I'm not ashamed of it before you start that argument again. I'd be crazy to ever be ashamed of what we have together." He kissed the tip of her nose, lips lingering, "Especially with the magic that we make whenever we're in one another's company." Aria giggled and gave him another kiss, her hands slipping down his torso to the waistband of his boxers. She played with the hem as if to tease him and he moaned in response into her mouth.

"Mr. Fitz, I think this is crossing the line that you drew two weeks ago by a lot." She murmured as she slid her hand underneath the fabric of his boxers and began to caress his thigh with gentle strokes.

"Why, Miss Montgomery, we crossed that line last night and just kept going without looking back in the rearview mirrors." He moaned once more and shoved her hand away once more to only pick her up into his arms, allowing her petite legs to twine around his waist and they plopped down on the couch, their lips not breaking apart.

She only separated herself from him when they heard a sudden knock on the door. Ezra groaned and gave her another lingering kiss before slipping out from underneath her. He jumped up to his feet and pressed his fingers to his lips to warn her to be quiet as he slowly and quietly walked over to the door and peered into the peephole. He muttered to himself, "Dammit."

She rushed over to him, wondering who that could be, "Who is it?"

Ezra didn't answer as he kept muttering swear words and Aria could only hear a few of them, "Damn him. Doesn't he not freaking realize that this is _my _apartment? Ugh, Aria, we need to get you hidden." She must have looked as shocked and hurt as she felt at this comment and he knew that it sounded horrible so he whispered into her ear, his breath leaving goose bumps on the skin of her neck, "I'm sorry, Aria. I hate to do this but Kenneth is here. I don't know what for. This doesn't have anything to do with you. He told me the rules when I first moved in. I can't have women staying here overnight. Damn him. Does he not realize that I am twenty-seven years old and that I am perfectly capable of being responsible? I'm sorry, Aria. I'm so sorry, but please find a place to hide. The bathroom, the closet, under the bed or the desk. Just please find somewhere. I'm sorry."

She nodded in understanding without saying anything more and gave him a small kiss before stepping into the small coat closet near Ezra's studying area. He pressed his lips to hers one last time before going to answer the door. She left the closest cracked open a tiny bit just to give herself some light and also to be able to hear what Kenneth had to say to her boyfriend. She hoped she wouldn't get him into trouble in any way and that his older brother wouldn't notice the obviousness of two people who had sex the night before.

She heard Ezra open the door after slipping on one of his simple white t-shirts, "Hey, Ken. What brings you here today so early on this fine morning?"

Aria watched as a larger shadow fell over the available light that was dimly brightening the darkened closest, "I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday afternoon. I was angry and upset and I wasn't thinking about what I said until last night. I'm truly sorry for what I said about Aria. Maybe it would be wise for me to give her a second chance. I didn't give you a fair hearing when you were trying to tell me about how she's changed and everything. If she's really serious about you and you the same about her, then why not give this a shot in a dark?"

She remembered Ezra mentioning something on their date about Kenneth not accepting the relationship that they now had. He'd explained in anger about how his older brother always assumed that he needed him to look out for him, but she understood perfectly. Mike always did the same with her. They'd always been close, especially when their parents hit a bump in the road when they were teenagers and the situation almost resulted in divorce. Luckily, it was stitched back together, even though it took years. Mike always really worried about his sister's well being, especially after she came home with Hayden at her side for the first time almost three years prior. He'd all but celebrated when they broke off their engagement. She knew that Kenneth was just trying to spare Ezra heartbreak by her own doing.

Her boyfriend cleared his throat, sounding extremely nervous, "Well, thanks for the apology, but I have to go take my morning run and then head to campus-"

"Oh, hush, Ezra. It's not even seven a.m. You have plenty of time to go for a run. Plus, I want to invite you to come to the house and have dinner with me, Natalie, and Emma. Bring Aria and we'll go on from there. It's a baby step in the right direction."

"Fine with me. Now, I really have to-"

"Why are you so nervous? Do you want to spend some quality time with your big brother?" Kenneth laughed and Aria heard the old wood floors creak under his weight as he slowly walked around the room. Suddenly he stopped and there was a long pause. Finally, the elder Fitz brother asked, his tone as cold as stone, "Ezra…..Is she here? Did she stay the night in this apartment, even though that is completely against the agreement that we made back when you moved here in November?"

She felt her heart quicken as she backed herself further into the closet, draping herself with one of Ezra's long jackets. If Kenneth found out that she'd stayed the night, Ezra could be a whirlwind of trouble. _I always ruin stuff for him. First with his happiness for nine months and now with the possibility of his brother completely disowning him. Damn me. I broke his heart once and he's still broken. I know he says he's over it, but after what happened last night, I know that he's still very bitter and insecure about what happened with Hayden. And then the desperation I felt him have when we were together….He's afraid he's going to lose me again. He's afraid that one day, whether it's tomorrow or in a year, I'm going to just pick up and walk away from what we have together. And I don't blame him. _

Ezra was almost too quick to respond, "What are you talking about?"

Kenneth went over to the bedside and picked up her red dress from the floor from the previous night, "I'm assuming this garment here isn't yours. You're a little too big for a size two. You look to be more of a twelve." His voice was filled with a sneer and she knew that it was over. He knew that she was in the apartment. He was in medical school. He had to be some sort of genius to get that far. Plus, he was too much like Ezra in more ways than less.

Her heart may have stopped completely as he slowly lifted up her lace underwear from the ground. He laughed darkly as he approached Ezra and out of nowhere, he threw the black lace panties into his younger brother's chest, where they fell into his outstretched hands, "Do you take me for some kind of idiot? Did you actually think that I wouldn't notice the mess that you both made? I should've known that you would make a stupid mistake like this, Ezra. I knew you couldn't handle your lust for her. I saw that the first time I saw you looking at her." He paused before practically growling, "I know she's in here. So, where is she hiding; under the bed or in the bathroom?"

"Ken, you need to calm down." Ezra pleaded as he backed his way near the closet as if to protect Aria in case his older brother decided to retaliate in violence at the revelation of what was happening at that moment, "Aria and I…Aria and I got carried away last night, but we're in love and we got lost in the moment." He straightened up and clearly said in a strong bravado, "I wouldn't take it back though; not for anything in the world. I told you before, Kenny. I'm in love with this girl-_this woman-_and I want to be with her for the rest of my life." He swallowed, "I can't describe the way I feel about her. It's indescribable. My feelings for her have no words. You know that feeling when you just love the person so much that you can't really describe it?"

"You're not in love, Ezra! You hardly even know this girl and you allowed her to stay the night last night. I can't believe you'd be that stupid!" Kenneth ran his hand through his curly dark brown hair, "You think you're in love because you think she's changed. What makes you so sure that she's not going to take off again?" Silence was met with this question and he knew he'd made a valid point, "I'm trying to look out for you, but if you're so determined to get your heart broken again, I'm not going to try and change your mind. Maybe a little bit more heartbreak as a result of being with her will teach you an even bigger lesson than last time."

"You think you're so great, don't you, Ken? You've got a perfect life, a perfect job, a perfect family, and a perfect wife." Ezra's voice rose, "Well, I'm sorry I don't fit into that equation of perfection. I'm not going to let my chance slip away from me like I did the last time I let her go back to Chicago. Am I taking a big step? Yeah, I am, but I'm willing to take it just to be with her. And I am in love. I'm head over heels for Aria. Every time I'm with her, I feel whole inside. I feel like she's my destiny. And I'm tired of running away from it every time I get scared. No, I'm not going to change for you or for anybody. I love Aria Montgomery and I'm not going to hide it." He turned around and opened the closet door, his face lightening as soon as he saw her.

Aria could see that he was upset and her own tears sprung up in her eyes as she took her boyfriend's hand to comfort him and she finally stepped out from the small closet, taking a place beside him. She looked at Kenneth, whose olive green eyes were wide and his face was an angry tomato red. If Ezra hadn't been there, she would've been afraid, but fortunately, his presence soothed her and she took a deep breath, "Kenneth, I don't want Ezra to take the entire lash of your anger. I deserve most of it. I know your opinion of me and I'm sorry for breaking one of the main rules for your apartment." She looked over at Ezra and then back to his older brother, "I just want to say that I hate myself every day for what I did to him. For those nine months that I didn't see him, it killed me inside. The thought of him of hurting because of what I chose truly rips my heart into a bunch of little pieces." She paused before eventually coming to say, "I'm here to stay though. I'm not going to take off like I did in November. I'm not going to let him get away from me again. I love him."

Kenneth's jaw tightened and his facial expression didn't change as he replied, "I'm sorry, Aria, but I don't believe you." He jabbed a finger in his little brother's direction, "He does, though, and if he wants to be with you, then I'm not going to try and talk him out of it." He swallowed hard and looked away, "The only thing I can do is not allow it under my roof."

Ezra's mouth dropped in shock, "What in the hell are you saying? Are you kicking me out of the apartment?"

His brother slowly nodded, his olive green eyes hardening with regret and anger, "I don't like the idea of this relationship and I don't think I ever will. You obviously didn't listen to me when I told you the rules of this place and last night, you broke the biggest and most important one. You took it way too far and I'm sorry, Ezra, but you're going to have to find another place to live." With another glare in Aria's direction, the elder Fitz bloodline stalked out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him, leaving Aria and Ezra left standing there in shock.

Ezra finally spoke, slowly sinking into his desk chair, his hand running through his hair, "Aria, what in the hell am I going to do now? My brother just kicked me out of this place. I can't go live with my mother because she'd have to find out I broke _her _rule of having no women in here after one. And I have no close friends that live near Rosewood. I don't know what's going to happen." He placed his face in his hands, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

She stared at him for a few moments before pulling him into a tight hug, placing herself onto his lap, her fingers twining into his curly hair, "Ezra, look at me." He slowly picked his head up and looked into her eyes, "We'll work this out."

"Aria, I don't think you comprehend what just happened. I'm homeless now." A chuckle slipped through his lips as he stuttered it out, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand why my brother can't see how happy I am right now. I feel so whole and open with you in my life. I don't what I'd do without you." He nestled his face into her neck, giving her skin a few kisses.

"I know, Ezra."

She thought for a moment and then a light bulb more or less went off in head, "Why don't you come and live with me? I live right upstairs and the move won't be that hard since you don't have a lot of stuff. It'd just be temporary until you find another place or until your brother gets his head out of his ass."

He hesitated, his fingers tracing small circles on her back, "I don't know, Ar. That's a big step and we've only been together for a couple of weeks. We could make it work, but I've heard horror stories about couples splitting up after living together and I don't want that to be us in three months."

"Ezra, I love you and I know you love me, especially after what just happened with Kenneth. You stood up for us. We could make it work. If anyone can, we can. We've gone through worse than sharing a bathroom." She sighed and pressed a kiss to cheek, her hand resting softly against his cheek, stroking it softly with her fingers, "If you really don't want to, then I understand. I could call my parents and see if they could-"

"No, no. Don't feel the need to try and fix this. Besides, last night was very much worth breaking that stupid rule and I wouldn't take it back because it was truly the best night of my life. Kenneth can't take that joy away from me, not even under these circumstances." Ezra picked his head up from her shoulder and gave her a small kiss against her temple, "I guess we could give us the chance of living together, but if that doesn't work out, I want to make sure that we don't become a dumb statistic by breaking off what an amazing time we have together." He sighed again and looked in her the eyes, "Promise me one thing."

"And what would that be?"

He smiled softly and gave her another kiss, only this time against her lips, "Promise me that you won't take too much time in the morning to get ready. Because at the looks of things," He played with the hem of the shirt of his that Aria was wearing, "you're a very slow mover and I don't want to wait in line for the bathroom every damn day of the week."

She laughed and then gave him a wobbly grin, joyous tears beginning to fall down her cheeks, "So, is that a yes?"

He laughed and kissed the strangled tears away softly with his lips, "Yes, Aria. Yes, of course I'll move in with you."

* * *

><p>The rest of the morning, the young couple got ready for the day after talking things over, making out, and a shower together. Aria rescheduled her interview for the next day and Ezra didn't end up going to campus. At noon, they finally started to pack Ezra's things into boxes that Aria had brought down from her apartment from when she had moved back to Rosewood. Extra hands had been needed to get everything out that day and she hadn't felt like explaining everything to her mother to get her over to help. So, with Ezra's permission, she told the girls to come over and help. He didn't really care who helped; all he wanted was to get all of his stuff up to Aria's apartment and be done with this entire mess. Though he knew that it wouldn't be that easy to leave behind.<p>

Anger burned in the pit of his stomach as he thought of how ignorant his older brother was being. Ezra didn't want to be the one person who wasn't perfect in Kenneth's life, but he wasn't going to break things off with Aria just because he's being an ass. He loved her more than life now and he couldn't lose her again. If he did, he wouldn't go on. Kenneth was trying to spare him the heartbreak when he was really just killing him inside by trying to drive a wrench between him and Aria. It wasn't going to do anything but drive them closer. Kenneth was going to have to accept the fact that his little brother didn't need his guidance anymore.

Hanna looked around the old apartment as she fixated herself on packing up his glass plates from the kitchen into a simple padded box, "This is a nice bachelor's pad you've got here, Fitzy. Then again I bet you love Aria's apartment just as much." She, Spencer, and Emily broke off into another round of laughter, much to Aria's chagrin; though she was laughing as well as she pulled books off of shelves with Spencer.

For some reason, that was all that his girlfriend's friends felt the need to call him. He didn't really know them. He had only met them once and that was all the way back in November on the night that Hayden had proposed to Aria. And he refused to even address it. So, it was a fresh start for all of them, "Well, Miss Marin, I loved living here. But being in Aria's place should be perfectly fine. I hate being apart from her as it is." He shot a flash of her favorite smile in her direction and her cheeks flushed a deep red.

Hanna rolled her eyes, tossing a loose lock of blonde hair back over her shoulder. According to Aria, she was a fashion designer at a popular beauty boutique and could be getting a job in New York City as an assistant fashion consultant for Cosmopolitan Magazine. It paid big bucks and she'd be getting her name all over the world. The only thing holding her back was her commitment to her boyfriend, Elijah, who was studying at Pennsylvania State to be an engineer. He was prepared to let her leave but she kept delaying the departure. It was going to be a hard choice; a promising career or a boyfriend of almost four years.

Spencer Hastings was the smartest one of the group. She was in medical school much like her much older boyfriend, Wren Kingston, who was good friends with his own brother. She wore a simple spaghetti strapped shirt and blue jean shorts as she squired around his old apartment with books overflowing her long arms, "Where do you want these?"

He shrugged, "Any available box, I guess."

Aria noticed his distress and bounded over to him, planting a firm kiss to his pursed lips, "Stop being so glum and have some fun with this." She shot a smile up at him, just beaming with beauty and happiness, "I know the girls wanted to talk to you alone while they're here. So, I'm going to make an excuse in a couple of minutes and I want you to go along with it. Okay?"

He rolled his eyes and kissed her again, only this time, it was much longer and soon they forgot that they weren't alone. Hanna coughed out, "Hey, lovebirds. Save it for the bedroom. I rather not look at my best friend exchanging tongue with a curly haired cookie monster." She shivered, "Just nasty."

Emily cleared her throat, her rainbow tank shirt hanging loosely from her body, jet black hair flowing like a waterfall around her dark skinned face, "We always watch you macking on Eli. So, cut these two some slack. They've been through a lot these past couple of hours. They deserve a kiss or two."

"But look at them. It's like they can barely remain clothed when they're around each other."

"Thanks, Em. And Hanna shut up. We can handle ourselves just fine, thank you very much." Aria smiled mischievously over at her friends and gave Ezra another kiss, much to Hanna's disgust, "I have to run up to my apartment anyways. I think we need some more boxes to get all of Ezra's crap out of this place. I'll be back in a few." With one last press to Ezra's cheek and a wave to her friends as she bounded out the door and down the hall, disappearing from their sight.

As soon as the layer of awkwardness settled in the small room, Ezra shuffled his way to his desk, packing his laptop and writing materials in addition to softy placing pictures of family and friends into a special compartment of his old leather satchel. He waited a few moments before asking, "So, what did you three want to talk to me about?"

It was Hanna who began the conversation much to his surprise, "Ezra, we love Aria like a little sister. She has always been the one to be different and challenge ways of authority. She likes to get into trouble and most of the time that involves trouble in the relationship department. We've hardly seen one of her relationships last for more than six months." She gestured to Emily to begin speaking.

"Hayden was only the highlight of all of the crap she has been through with guys she's been involved with. She's had her heart broken more times than I can count off the top of my head."

Spencer flashed him a bit of a dopey smile, her brown eyes shining with acceptance, "Then you came along out of the most unsuspecting place. She told us all about how you guys met on the bus and how you tried to make her stay loyal to Hayden. How you didn't want her to make it feel like you were tearing her apart, begging her to make a choice. That must have been hard for you to do." He opened his mouth to answer but she cut him off, "And then when you defended her last night against Hayden only made us even surer." With a nod of approval from the other two girls, she continued, "Hanna, Emily and I wanted to tell you how much happier you make Aria. She's been hurt so many times, it's nice to finally see her happy for once. We think that you're the one for her. It's crazy, but soulmates do exist…."

Ezra was taken aback on their acceptance for their relationship. Besides the approval of Aria's parents, her three best gal pals had been the most important to know about them and accept it for what it was; messy, heartbreaking and painful yet sweet, loving, and whole all at the same time. They were actually giving him their blessing on being with Aria. A smile broke out across his face, "Thank you. All of you. I just want to say that I'm not going to hurt her. After seeing the walls she has and how many times she's been hurt from the men who came before me, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that nothing ever causes her pain again. She's the love of my life. And I'm not just saying that because I'm attracted to her in every humanly way possible. She's like my drug."

Hanna laughed, "Your own personal brand of heroin, not to quote Twilight or anything." She winked and all three girls broke out into another round of laughter.

He couldn't help, but chuckle along with them as Aria made her way back into the almost empty loft, "Exactly. My exact type of heroin."

* * *

><p>The afternoon led to sunset and all of Ezra's belongings made its way to the apartment and the girls went home. Ezra and Aria spent the rest of the evening on the rooftop of their apartment building, entangled with one another as they watched the sink on the western horizon, empty Thai food containers scattered around them. Aria was dozing off in her boyfriend's arms as he played with locks of her hair, humming the lyrics to a familiar song.<p>

She smiled into his shirt, kissing the skin of his neck, "What song is that? I know I know it but I want to hear what it is as a confirmation by Fitzy himself."

He rolled his eyes before smirking, pressing trailing kisses down her bare shoulder, "It's _our _song, Aria. Should I be hurt that you didn't remember the melody?" He didn't give her enough time to answer, _"Happiness is just outside my window.. Would it crash blowing 80-miles an hour? Or is happiness a little more like knocking on your door and you just let it in?_"

She murmured, "B-26." She remembered that night like any other times that they'd spent together just as well as Ezra did. And that one had been the game changer between them. That was the night when he'd first worked up the courage to take the chance and kiss her. And though he had to wait nine months to be in her wonderful presence again, he was happier than he'd ever been in his life.

"_Happiness feels a lot like sorrow. Let it be, you can't make it come or go. But you are gone- not for good but for now. Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good" _Ezra swallowed at the last stanza and looked up at the faint stars in the sky, "This song brings a lot of memories back."

His girlfriend sighed and looked into his eyes, "Ezra, I promise you that I'm never leaving again. Especially after what has gone down with us in the past twenty four hours. This may not be right for either of us, but I can't deny the fact that I am too far into this now." She kissed the top of his hand and then laid her head back unto his shoulder, letting out a deep breath, "I love you too much to even think about leaving."

He let out a breath of his own, one he hadn't realize he'd been holding, "So, we're really doing this? For real this time?"

"Ezra, these hickeys you left on my neck from last night are obviously evidence that we're in this for life. And yes. It's very real." She giggled and leaned over to press a kiss against his lips, "Now just keep singing. I 'm trying to take a nap and you stopped."

He laughed and continued to sing the lyrics of their song as he stared up the sky, twirling a lock of her hair around his index finger, feeling her relax against him, _"Happiness is a firecracker sitting on my headboard. Happiness was never mine to hold. Careful child, light the fuse and get away. 'Cause happiness throws a shower of sparks_" He paused as he glanced down at a now sleeping Aria and he leaned his head against hers,_ "Happiness damn near destroys you. Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor. So you tell yourself, that's enough for now. Happiness has a violent roar."_

His phone rang in his pocket and he was quick to receive it. The caller's ID sent his heart on a high speed race. He debated on answering it or not, but he decided that it'd be best to not send it voicemail. He pressed _talk _and slowly answered, his voice hushed in an effort to not awaken Aria, "Mom?"

**Cliffhanger! That is all of chapter 11.**

**A lot of stuff happened in this chapter. Kenneth's decision is going to withstand for the rest of the story and maybe lead into the sequel. And how will Ezra's mom react to everything going on? We'll be meeting her in chapter 12. Plus, I'll bring Bryon and Mike back into the swing of things. (Note: Mike is aware of Aria's relationship with Ezra, but Byron is going to remain in the dark until further notice.)**

**My friend, Haley did it again. A lot of what happened here was her idea. And I decided to credit her without her knowing. So, when she reads this, she'll be happy. Thanks once again, Shorty! **

**Don't forget to review. As always, constructive criticism, no burning! You guys are all amazing and thank you for being so involved with the story. I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Get ready for Chapter 12: Gave It A Lot of Chances. **


	12. Used Up a Lot of Chances

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 12**

**Used Up a Lot of Chances**

* * *

><p><em>Oh, I used up a lot of chances<em>

_I can't get them back._

_But if again it comes calling,_

_I'm gonna make it last._

* * *

><p>Two strong arms teasingly held Aria's waist as she struggled to focus on writing which she hadn't done in weeks; two and a half to be exact. Persistent lips pecked at her neck, sucking and nipping at the clammy skin, vunerable from her hair not hiding it from her boyfriend's mouth. She moaned and turned her head, looking into Ezra's wide and innocent smoldering dark blue eyes, "Ezra, I really have to get this stuff down before it's out of my head for good. Can you please stop trying to seduce me and go make yourself busy with getting ready to have breakfast with you mother? You smell horrible after that run."<p>

He flashed a small glimpse of her favorite smile, his white teeth gleaming between his soft pink lips. She felt his hands slide up her back to where they halted at her tense shoulders. His thumbs dug into the knotted tissue and muscle, "You've been too stressed out lately. Between applying for jobs, interviewing, and writing, you hardly have any time to breathe. So, I'm asking you as your boyfriend and roommate to take a deep breath and let me kiss you."

"I swear, you're the most stubborn man I have ever met in my life." She scoffed but ended up falling for those puppy dog eyes yet again and pressed her lips to his, feeling all of the frustration and stress fall away as they kissed for three short moments.

After they separated, Ezra stood and kissed the top of her head, his arms encasing her again, his skin tender against hers, "Come on. Go get ready to go see your parents and I'll drop you off. I meet my mom at nine at the Applerose Grille, so I'll make sure to put in good word for you." He chuckled, "You'll do fine at the interview this afternoon. You dad already said that you're a shoo in for the position at Hollis. Sp there is no need to worry about that." He cleared his throat before asking, "When are we going to tell your family about us? And by family, I mean the men in it, which means your father and younger brother."

She relaxed against his steady body, her head leaning against his stomach, "Whenever we feel the time is right I suppose" She let a deep breath as she took his hand, tangling their fingers in a mess of skin, "Besides that, I know that was what he said, but I need to make sure that I get the job. They already filled the one for the teacher's assistant in the English department, so who in the hell knows what this position is even for? All I know is that my dad said that it's a great teaching opportunity and it'll put my career years ahead of schedule. I can't remain unemployed forever. The rent on this place has to be paid somehow and-"

"I already told you to not worry about money anymore. We've been living together for almost three weeks and I got a pay increase for the semester. The rent is being paid, there is plenty of food in the fridge and above all, we're together." He smiled against her brunette hair as he murmured, "What else could we ask for?"

Aria ruffled his curly dark brown hair gently with her fingers and sighed as she quickly saved the document which she'd been working on and closed the top of her laptop, pushing herself away from her mahogany desk. She looked up at him and pressed another kiss to his lips tentatively, "You always know the right thing to say." She sighed as she leaned her forehead against his before pushing herself up to her feet and heading in the direction of the small bedroom which they shared. The large bed made up most of it, with a dressed shoved into the corner. A window seat was nearby, overlooking the view of Rosewood.

Sometimes, when Ezra was asleep and she couldn't follow the same example, she just sat there and thought about her life, the present and past. How stupid she'd been right after graduating high schools; bad relationship after bad relationship, never finding love. When she met Hayden, she'd been a rocky place in her life and he challenged her. She'd never met anyone so different and unusual. After two years, she met Ezra and realized on how much she needed to change her lifestyle. And if that meant being unemployed, living with a man who made her heart race and just being lazy all summer, then that's what she loved. Plus, she was happy with her life now. She was genuinely happy and that's something that Ezra helped her find.

He leaned against the frame of the doorway, "Aria, you're going to be fine this afternoon and when you get the job, I'll spring for dinner at that place in Philly that you loved so much on our first date in order to celebrate properly." He shook his head in good humor as he continued, "I still can't believe you loved the _Shay Maribel Vegan Bistro _so much. It's just a hole in the wall. Does it even count as a romantic meal? It barely seats two!"

She laughed and looked over her shoulder at him, "Well, I love it so much because you took me there and it was probably the best night of my life. And it's bigger than our apartment." She shimmied off her night shirt, which was an old one of Ezra's, but he insisted on her wearing it because it apparently looked better on her than on him. She wasn't wearing a bra and she could practically feel the sexual tension in the room thicken so much that someone could only cut it with a knife. Ezra cleared his throat as she slipped one on and she turned to face him. She shook her head in amusement, "Ezra, it's not like you haven't seen me naked before. It's not my fault that you want to wait to have sex again. After all, the first time went pretty well."

He forced himself not to look down at her chest as he drew nearer to her, his hands shoved into his short's pockets, "Well, it's not like I didn't enjoy myself because I truly did. I enjoyed our first time more than anything else that I've ever experienced. However, since we were acting on a whim and not on what was right for the progression of our relationship, I want to wait to make the second time as good as the first. And I know you feel the same way but you just don't want to admit it." He smiled down at her as he pressed a small kiss to her forehead, murmuring around the skin, "Now please put on some clothes before I completely lose my sense of mind. You're too damn beautiful to not stare at. It's nearly impossible not to let my eyes take control, but I am fighting that battle. Make it easier for me to win."

She leaned up and seductively whispered into his ear, "All the more reason to remain _naked_." Her boyfriend groaned as she kissed him, her tongue probing open his mouth to wrestle with his, her hands sliding down his stomach and to the waistband of his shorts. She loved the way she made him feel, even if that meant teasing him just a little bit more than necessary. She pushed down the silky fabric covering his thighs, her fingers playing with the hem of the legs of his boxers.

Suddenly, Ezra tackled Aria onto the bed, his hands all over her; her torso, her neck, her legs, her abdomen. It was like he couldn't keep his hands off of her. His lips were harsh adjacent to hers as he fought to regain control of the situation, "Aria….Aria, please. We can't…." His plead was silenced with another furious kiss as his girlfriend dug her fingers into the curls of his dark brown hair. She somehow flipped over the both of him so then she could straddle his hips with her own. She could feel him getting excited and she knew that they would have to stop soon. However, with the way that he was holding her to him, his hands sliding all over her back, caressing the small of her spine. She was amazed on how whole she felt right at that moment. It felt so true and so remarkable.

Finally, she decided that is was enough torturing him for one morning and rolled off the top of him, lying breathless beside him. He was struggling for air himself, "Wow, Aria." Sweat covered his forehead and dripped down his brow, "If only we could do this every day. Though I don't think I'd be able to handle myself." He shook his head and pressed a kiss to her temple, "What were we going to do today again? I may or may not have lost my train of thought after _that._"

She rolled her eyes and ruffled his messy hair, "Well, Mr. Forgetful, you're going to go have breakfast with your mother while I go to my parents' place before I go in for that interview." She pushed herself up off the bed and slipped on the rest of her outfit for the day, a sky blue blouse with tan Capri's and sandals.

While Ezra was in the shower, she brushed her hair and did her makeup, much to her boyfriend's protest and through his rather horrible rendition of 'Just the Way You Are' by Bruno Mars. She made them a pot of coffee and waited for him to be finished. She was going to meeting up with her family for breakfast while he was with his mother, Dianne. He didn't talk about his family much; not as much as she did hers. She thought that he was scared of losing her again if his mom didn't approve of their relationship. After what happened with his brother, Aria didn't really blame him.

Her mind flipped to her own family. Ella knew the basics of the situation; Ezra was living with her and they were in a committed relationship. Ezra went over to the house once in a while to help Byron with some stuff around the residence, but usually without her. Bryon had no idea of what was going on between the two. Aria knew that he would be hurt when he found out that they'd been keeping it from him. The family was used to secrets, but this was for the relationship's own good to keep it private for another couple of months; they were planning to tell them on the anniversary that they met which was November 24th. She knew that Ella was doing her best to keep it from her husband, but it wasn't going to be long before it would become unraveled. Her younger brother, Mike, was also in the dark about the whole thing.

Ezra was finally done getting ready and quickly poured himself a mug of coffee as he trudged around the apartment in a button down sleeveless plaid shirt with beige khakis and converse sneakers. He was casual but still dressed up for the first time seeing his mother in all the time that he has lived in Rosewood. He was nervous; Aria could tell by the way that he was walking with her out of the complex and down the hall to where the elevator sat waiting for them.

"Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. We've been through a lot worse than you having breakfast with your mother." She whispered up into his ear and by the way that his boyish smile spread across his face, he believed her. With a small kiss to her temple, he led her into the elevator and they began to descend to what awaited them later that day.

* * *

><p>Ezra dropped Aria off at the end of the block, one of his hands firmly on the wheel and the other tangled with hers on the cup holder that sat between their heated bodies. When she was about to get out of the silver Toyota Camry, he pulled her back to press a firm kiss to her pursed lips as if he was afraid to let her go without him; after all, since they moved in together they'd hardly spent any time apart. Ezra would bring lesson plans to the apartment and then go with her to every interview, no matter how far away it was from Rosewood. He was a patient and tender soul with a very unselfish personality.<p>

After a couple moments of a goodbye kiss, they separated with their foreheads leaning against each other. Aria kissed the tip of his nose before murmuring, "I'll see you in a couple hours at Hollis."

He groaned, running his free hand through the waves of his dark brown hair, "A couple of hours feels like a century when you're away from the person you love." He sighed but nodded, "I better let you go then." He looked at her with loving and soft dark blue eyes, twinkling in the faint morning summer sun, "I love you."

She smiled softly and ran her hand across the freshly shaven skin of his cheek, "I love you, too." She gave him one last peck on the mouth and climbed out of his car, the humidity of the August heat immediately beginning to overwhelm her. She closed the door and waved goodbye at her boyfriend as he pulled away from the curve and down the street to exit the suburb vicinity. She looked after him with an exhaled breath. She loved him so much that the already growing distance between them began to ache her heart.

It took her three minutes to quickly walk down to the old Pennsylvanian house that sat on the corner of the second block of the neighborhood, the creamy yellow shutters visible from where she stood. The three story house was built sometime in the 1800's, much like the other Victorians in the small town of Rosewood. It sat across the street from Hanna Marin's mother's home and Spencer's family lived two houses down across the street from Emily's home. They'd been friends since nursery school and were inseparable while growing up. All four of the young women were still incredibly close and intended to be for the rest of their lives.

Mike was waiting at the front door for her, a wide smile on his face. Her little brother was two years younger than her and just finished his third year at Penn State on a lacrosse scholarship. He was majored in some kind of athletic program where he could be a trainer for professional sports teams. He was strong and had a lot of muscle from all of his years in sports for the most violent activity. Lacrosse kept him fit even if he ate some of the unhealthiest food known to man. His height stood about the same as Ezra's and his wild dirty dishwater blonde hair covered his tan forehead. He wore a simple grey t-shirt and basketball shorts as if he'd just gotten back from his morning run. She shook her head in amusement. When she would eventually tell him and their father about her relationship, he and Ezra would get along just fine.

He laughed and wrapped her up in a tight hug, "Hey, big sister."

She ruffled his hair and he shook her off with a wide grin, "Well, hey Mikey. How was your run this morning?"

He shrugged, "Same old route, you know? Nothing really new." He looked around and sighed with a shake of the head, "Well, what are you waiting for? It's time to eat! We've been waiting for you to stop making out with your boyfriend in his car for the past ten minutes."

Her eyes widened as her heart began to quicken in a high speed race, "Boyfriend? What are you talking about, Mike?"

He rolled his eyes as they went inside, closing the door behind them, "Aria, I'm not completely stupid. That Ezra Fitz dude who teaches with Dad at Hollis lives in the same apartment building as you and every time he's here, if your name is mentioned, he just blushes like a dumbass." Her own cheeks flushed red and he chuckled, "I saw his car go by when I was finishing up my workout and I saw you in the passenger seat. I know you've been seeing each other. It's kind of obvious. So, why are you keeping it such a fail of a secret?"

Aria was happy that her father was still upstairs or else the subject would have been dropped. She walked into the living room and plopped down on the leather couch, her younger brother following her lead, "Mike, I swear if you tell Dad, I will-"

"Now why would I do that? I can see the way that Ezra lights up your eyes. This isn't like when you were with Hayden and what you had with him. Ezra actually makes you happy." Mike smiled and nudged her shoulder playfully but in an affectionate way, the bluish green depths of his eyes twinkling, "Obviously if you're keeping it private at the moment, it has to be for a good reason because I honestly don't see why it has to be such a big caldron of drama."

"Mike, we spent nine months apart after our short fling in November when I met him on the bus on the way down from Chicago. He was sweet, smart, funny, and caring. I was with Hayden though, and if it hadn't been for Hayden proposing to me, I probably would have stayed in Rosewood with him. Instead, Hayden asked me to marry him and as much as I enjoyed being with Ezra, I couldn't break off a two year relationship in the matter of two days because a new guy crossed my path."

Mike shrugged, "I personally like him better than boyfriend le douche, but I can see why you chose that." He blinked with curiosity at Aria, "So, after what happened in February, was Ezra the reason why you decided to move back to Rosewood? I knew something was up with you two after what Mom told me what went down on Thanksgiving Eve; how Ezra drove away and you were distraught about the engagement to Hayden…" He trailed off before asking, "So, what happened in June when you came back?"

"Well, that's the thing, Mikey. I didn't see Ezra again until the end of July. Somehow, our paths hadn't crossed even though we lived just three floors away from each other in the apartment building. We ran into each other again when he was working on Dad's car. It was so awkward, but eventually we got past it and hit the nail on the head. We both said things that we wished we hadn't and after a long talk with Mom, I decided to drive him home. We worked everything out and we started to see each other on a regular basis. He helped me fix some things in my apartment and after two weeks of casually seeing one another, he asked me out on our first date. He took me to an art museum in Philly and on our way to the restaurant where we were going to eat for dinner, we ran into someone." She paused, not knowing what to say next.

Mike narrowed his gaze inquisitively, 'Aria, what aren't you telling me? Who did you run into on the street that night?"

"Hayden." Aria watched as her brother's face tightened with anger. He liked Hayden as much as Ezra did, "He wasn't happy that I was with someone else, even though we'd been broken up for half a year. He came down from the city to see if I would give him another chance and I wish I could have recorded Ezra's reaction to what happened after Hayden hit me…"

His jaw stiffened even more, "He hit you? Are you freaking kidding me? Why didn't you tell me before? If I had known that, I would have found him in Chicago and beaten him to death for even thinking of touching you that way." He took a deep breath as he endured his protective little brother nature, "So, Ezra kicked his ass right?"

She nodded, "A broken nose and a black eye to the very least. I'd never seen him so angry before, but at the moment was when I realized how much I actually meant to him and how much he meant to me. I fell hard for him. There is no denying that. I think he may be your future brother-in-law."

Mike scoffed, "After a month of dating him, you're actually already planning this?" He shook his head in amusement, "He sounds like a pretty cool dude, but don't be planning any ceremonies so soon." They both laughed but fell silent as their mother entered the room.

Ella smiled as she saw her two children in the same house instead of running in parallel directions every time she tried to get the whole family together, "Hey you two. Breakfast is ready for you to dig into. We're just waiting for your father to get up and moving." She sank into the loveseat adjacent to the sofa so then she could speak to both of them at once, "So, what was so funny?"

Before Aria could interject, Mike spoke up, "My big sister here was just telling me about her love life and I'm just thinking that she's growing up so fast." He chuckled again, "Seriously though, Ar. Though I'm happy that your new boy toy is better than your previous douche that you called your boyfriend, there is no need to plan weddings after only dating him for six weeks."

Ella's dark hazel eyes widened and she looked at Aria in surprise, "You told him about Ezra?"

"I had no choice. He's not as stupid as I thought because he figured it out before I could even breathe in the fresh scent of turkey bacon."

The mother of two giggled as she shook her head, "Well, he is going on his fourth year at Penn State. He has to be smart enough to pull a full scholarship from one of the top schools in the country." She lied back deeper into the polyester brick brown chair, "Now how has the living situation been treating you two? I know couples who live together don't have the easiest time adjusting to such circumstances." Before her daughter could protest, she continued in a fast manner, "Now, before you get mad, these are your own words. Has Ezra found another place to stay yet or is he still waiting for his brother to come around?"

Mike held up his hands to stop the conversation in its tracks, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rewind for a moment please. They're living together now?"

Aria nodded, "Two and a half weeks ago, Kenneth, Ezra's older brother, kicked him out of his apartment where he'd been staying. He doesn't like our relationship and is just trying to look out for Ezra, whose heart I broke severely after I left him for nine months to go to Chicago with Hayden. I had stayed the night there which had apparently broke one of Ken's rules that he had laid down for Ezra back when he moved into the apartment back in November. So, he's staying with me for now. And, to answer your question, Mom, yes we're doing perfectly fine living together."

Her brother shook his head in astonishment, "I don't know what I think about this. My sister is living with a guy who she has been seeing for less than two months. Please tell me you two haven't…you know…?" She looked down at her hands, unable to answer and he groaned in response, running his hands through his tussled blonde hair, "I don't know how you two could move so fast with this."

"Well, in our defense, the only time we've ever had sex was the night of our first date. It hadn't been planned, but we were prepared and now we've decided to wait to go for round two-"

Mike planted his hands over his ears, "Please shut up. I don't need to hear anymore about this."

Bryon came down the stairs at that very moment, catching the tail end of the conversation. He wore a button down shirt with casual faded jeans and a dark blue tie, "You don't want to hear anymore about what?" He smiled when he saw his daughter and he kissed the top of her head affectionately, "Hey, sweetheart. Are you excited for the interview this afternoon?"

"I'm more nervous than I am excited." She shrugged her father off with a deep sigh, "Are you sure that I am the most qualified one for this position at Hollis?"

He nodded, his eyes narrowed, "I've suggested you so many times to the dean of the university that he is ready to meet you just to get me to shut up. Actually, the interview is going to be more of an initiation. You pretty much already have the job. All you have to do is officially take it in front of the board of the English department." Before his daughter could interject, he continued, "And no, I can't tell you what it's for. I promised I wouldn't. Like I said before, though, this job is going to be a huge step in the right direction for your career. It's going to send it years ahead of schedule." He shook his head with a wide grin, "At first, I wasn't sure if I'd suggest you or Ezra. Both of you were perfect for it; young, single, and free, ready for bright new opportunities. Then I realized that you'd appreciate more since you don't have a job and Ezra loves Hollis so when I mentioned it to him, he suggested you for any open opportunity that you could grab onto. He's a good fellow, that one."

The mention of her boyfriend's name brought a blush to her cheeks, "So, Ezra Fitz, your and Mom's friend helped me get this job?"

Her father nodded once again, "Well, he wanted you to have it. He said and I quote, 'Aria needs this more than I do and she would love the experience. So, give the damn thing to her.' He didn't even know what it was for either. But since he already has a job at the college, this one would be better filled by a promising young woman."

She grinned widely unknowingly. _How perfect could Ezra be? He was the one who suggested me, not my dad. Now here I am about to go in to receive it. I love him so much. I better thank him when I see him later_, "So, will he be at the board meeting later?"

"He should be. The head of the department wanted everyone that teaches in the English unit to be there. I'll be there for moral support for my baby girl." He laughed, "Make sure to thank Ezra later, alright? You two could probably be really good friends if you wanted to be." He rubbed his belly as he turned and went into the kitchen, "Okay, I'm hungry. Time for grub!"

As she followed her family into the dining room, she thought, _If only Dad knew how much this actually means to me. My boyfriend is perfect, I'm about to get a fantastic job and I'm spending time with my family. How can life get any better than this? _

* * *

><p>Dianne Fitz sat directly across from her youngest son, her dark brown hair that was always cropped short brushed against the skin of her neck. She was dressed casual, but still rather extravagant for being at an old rundown grille in the small town of Rosewood. She'd driven down from New York for the weekend to see both of her sons. Her tan skin gleamed in the faint fluorescent light of Applerose Grille, her hands folded on the table in front of her, "It's so nice to see you, Ezra. It feels like we haven't spoken face to face since you moved down here."<p>

He shrugged, "Well, I've been busy with my new job at Hollis and settling into the small town life. I haven't had much time to drive up to the city. I'll try to make more of an effort to take the trip."

His mother nodded and smiled, "I'd like that. It's not the same without you nearby. I know it's only a two hour drive, but I miss my baby boy. I miss both you and your older brother." She sighed and tossed a lock of her hair behind her shoulder where it barely brushed against her white short sleeved blouse, "Are you two still not talking?"

Ezra shook his head, not meeting her eyes as guilt and regret swept over him like a tidal wave, "Mom, he left me without a place to live. I know I pissed him off with what happened with my girlfriend, but he could have been more understanding. He doesn't understand the relationship _at all_. He doesn't understand the fact that I waited nine months for her to come back into my life and though he's trying to look out for me, I wish he would let me make my own decisions. I'm not that twelve year old that he had to take care of after Dad left anymore. I'm a grown man. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself."

Dianne was silent for a moment, but when she spoke, her voice was filled with wisdom that she'd learned in her years of being a single mother of two boys and working extra shifts just to get the rent of their small Victorian house paid for, "It's okay to need each other, that's what makes us strong, that's what makes us human. I needed your father and look how that ended up. I needed your brother to step up way too early to help take care of you so I could have a piece of mind and go to work. We both should respect and be grateful to him for all he's done for you and me. But Kenny isn't perfect. He doesn't walk on water; neither do you and I."

Ezra sighed, nodding in understanding and revelation. His mom always knew the right thing to say, even when he didn't want to admit that he was wrong and refused to listen to anyone but his ego, "I know, Mom and I will always be grateful to Ken, but he's being completely irrational with this whole situation and-"

The indigo embers in her eyes burned distantly as she continued, cutting Ezra off mid-sentence as if he'd never begun talking, "As for your choice to be with Aria, I'll give you a piece of advice that I wish someone had told me when your father left: To truly love someone is when you wait for them for as long as you feel you need to, but sometimes, you have to think of your own well being and love yourself too, by knowing when to walk away and move on. By the sound of it, moving on didn't work for either of you. So, I want you to be careful with where you place your heart. She's broken it too easily before, honey and I know you two are more serious than you were in November, but still. I don't want my little boy getting hurt." She reached over and clasped his hand with her own, giving it a gentle squeeze, "Promise me?"

_How could I ever not do this for her? She's my mother _He thought as he responded with a flash of his boyish smile at her and nodded, "Mom, I promise. Though I think Aria may be the one for me. She's a one of a kind."

His mother laughed, "I'm glad you've found happiness, Ezra. I got worried when you never seemed to express any interest in relationships. I halfway blamed myself after what happened with my own marriage. Kenneth didn't let that affect him as much as it did you. He and Natalie have been together for ten years almost, but you've….you almost seem to have given up on the idea of love." Tears arouse in her eyes and a thorn stuck in Ezra's throat. Even after all the hardships they had gone through after his dad left when he was twelve, he could count on one hand how many times he'd seen his mom cry. She was a very strong woman; stronger than him and Kenneth put together, "Aria makes you whole. I can see it in your eyes. I've never seen such brimming cheerfulness in those eyes of yours before today. I can't remember the last time I saw you smile like you just when I said her name. You're in love with her, aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" He nodded, his grin widening as he thought of his girlfriend, "I am, Mom. I don't think I have ever been this happy with anyone before. Aria in my life is better than anything else. I love her. I fell for her the moment I saw her on that damn bus next to her ex-boyfriend. I knew that loving a woman who was taken wasn't a good idea, but you know, you can't help you fall in love with and when you fall in love with them. I am head over heels for Aria and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. We've only been together for a short time, but I'm ready. There is no one else out there for me and I don't want there to be anyone else because I am sure who my destiny lies with and where it lies. I love Aria and I want to be with her for the rest of forever and eternity."

* * *

><p>There was a knock on the door of Ezra's Hollis office and he looked up to see Aria's dark brunette hair sticking through the small crease between the room and the hall. His heart began to quicken just as it did every time he saw her, his cheeks flushing a light rosy pink, "Hey, Aria. What brings you in here?"<p>

She glanced behind her before walking further into the small office, shutting the heavy cedar door as she drew nearer to her boyfriend, slipping her hand like a shell over his, "Well, the meeting starts in fifteen minutes and I'm nervous. You're the only one who can seem to calm me down, especially since this whole job was your idea. I told my dad that I wanted to speak to you alone to thank you." She shook her head in amusement, giving his hand a squeeze, "If only he knew what _expressing my gratitude _entitles."

He groaned at the amount of seduction drip from her smooth voice. He began to draw circles with his fingers on the small of her back, "Your dad told you that he wanted me to take it, but I handed it over to you, didn't he? I told him not to mention it, but of course, Professor Montgomery couldn't keep a secret even if his last breath depended on it," Ezra murmured as he leaned up to press a kiss to his girlfriend's lips for the first time in almost four hours. It was sweet and short, as if he had kissed a raspberry. When they separated, he went back to his last few lesson plans for the first semester that started in just a few short weeks, "I missed you. More than I probably should have." He extended his other hand to her and pulled her close to a place to sit on his lap, his arm entwining around her waist, "How was breakfast with the family?"

"Well, it started out with me explaining everything about our relationship to my little brother, who was surprisingly okay with it. But my mom had to let it slip that we're living together so that was a whole other thing to deal with. His reaction was way cooler than what I thought it would be. Better than Kenneth's was that morning, I can tell you that right now." She sighed and twined her fingers with her boyfriend's, leaning her head against his shoulder, "How was that talk with your mom?"

His shoulders sagged in relaxation as he described what happened, "Well, between the initial hellos and goodbyes that we said, it went surprisingly better than I thought it would go. She wants to meet you the next time that she's in town. She gave me some advice to make up with Kenneth and then to be careful where I place my heart. She really surprised me, especially after what happened with my brother. She's a smart woman, my mother." He chuckled and exhaled a deep breath, "So, how long did your dad expect for you to be in there?"

"How long would it usually take to thank a drop dead sexy man like you?" She shrugged with seductive smile as she loosened the tie that she'd bought him when they went to the plaza the previous week, "We can make use of the time that we have, though." Without saying anything more, her lips met Ezra's with a hurried desperation, her hands beginning to unbutton his shirt.

His tongue probed her mouth open to wrestle with hers, running over her pearly white teeth passionately as his hands slid up and down her legs, bringing both of them up to twine around his waist, straddling his aching abdomen. His male instincts screamed at him to use the time he had left to satisfy his sexual needs, but his common sense kicked in before anything further could happen, "We have that meeting in fifteen minutes."

"That's plenty of time for us to spend some _alone time _together." She mumbled against his lips as she unbuttoned the rest of his shirt to the halfway mark, sliding her hands up and down his stomach and chest. They were so closely pressed together that no one would ever think that they were two different bodies. Because at that moment, their hearts were one beat and their hands were moving at one rhythm. They weren't thinking as two different people; they were one.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Aria quickly jumped out of her boyfriend's lap, straightening her wrinkled blouse as Ezra quickly rebuttoned his short sleeved plaid shirt. His tie was a mess so he pulled it free of its collar; Aria could help him fix it later. He called out, still breathless from the kiss, "Come on in!"

The cedar door opened and Byron poked his head in, his thin blonde hair wet from the rain outside. He must have just come inside, "Hey you two. The meeting is going to start a bit earlier than we thought. The head of the department decided to only have us there for the initiation of Aria's new job. Not everyone could make it today. So, come on. He's not a patient man!"

The walk down to the English's head department office took all but five minutes; just the right amount of time for Ezra and Aria to straighten their appearances after their hot and heavy makeout session just moments before her father had barged in on them. Ezra thought as he glanced over at his girlfriend walking beside him, _I wish we didn't have to keep it from him. I know he would have a hissy fit if he knew about the current situation though and I can't risk losing Aria because we got sloppy hiding this relationship._

The head of the English department was Professor Walter James. Professor James had worked at the small college for as long as any faculty member could remember. He wasn't that old pushing sixty and not even close to retiring. He was a nice guy and a great observer of his students and employees. He still taught night classes to those who needed to learn the English language. He called out, "Come in, the lot of you!" He stood and shook all of their hands as they clambered into his large office.

After the initial greetings and introduction, the professor looked right at Aria and got right to business, "Miss Montgomery, both Ezra and your father have explained to me that you're the one that Hollis wants for this position in our English department. I don't know if Byron explained to you on what is going to happen in these next couple weeks as the new semester starts." He took a deep breath, "You're going to be in Boston for the next six months for the extension project that we're establishing with Boston University. If all goes well, you'll be back by March. "

Out of nowhere, air left Ezra's lungs, causing him to metaphorically gasp for it. What did he sign Aria up for when he suggested that she be considered for the job? It was basically another invitation for her to leave him again. And what was he going to do? Jump up and try to convince her not to accept the job? He _couldn't _do that. And he wouldn't. He wasn't going to make her choose between her career and their relationship. He didn't want to lose her, though. _What in the hell am I supposed to do now?_

He glanced over at his girlfriend and she was obviously thinking about the situation herself, "Professor James, I would have to think about this. I have some things that I would need to sort out and-"

Byron cut her off, "Aria, what is holding you back? You don't have anything holding you here to Rosewood? Don't pass up this opportunity because you'd be leaving home again. We'll be here when you come back in March." He kissed her forehead, "Come on, sweetheart. Think about the opportunities that will open up for you after you complete this!"

That was when Aria and Ezra's gazes locked. All that had happened between them, from reuniting to their first date to their first time and then moving into together after what happened with his stubborn older brother and then adjusting to that, becoming closer and closer by each passing moment was going to change. Everything was going to change. She was going to take the job offer and leave his life again for the next six months, heading into deep unknown. Who knew what would happen in that amount of time? Would she move on and say that their relationship was over? He could see it in her eyes that she was going to take the offer. The rusty knife that had been in his stomach for all those months that he'd waited for her to return to his arms returned, but it dug deeper and twisted further. He didn't want to ever feel this kind of pain ever again and there it was. _I can't lose Aria again. Not after everything that we've been through just to be together. _

Ezra pushed himself up to his feet so then he wouldn't say anything that he would regret, "I think I'll let you three talk about this." He reluctantly met Aria's eyes again, a thorn forming in his throat, "Congratulations on the new job. I'll see you around then." He stalked out of the door and slammed it behind him.

He ran outside into the rain, his fingers knotted into the curls of his hair as the water soaked him. The warm liquid felt fresh against the ache that lied on every inch of him, but it didn't chase it away. He didn't think that anything could change what he felt at that moment. He was going to lose her again. He already knew that it was over. He felt like crying, screaming, and blaming the universe for continuously tearing their relationship apart. The anger built and built inside of him, causing it to overflow as he screamed at the top of his lungs at the sky, "Can I ever be happy? Is that impossible? Is that not allowed? It seems like every damn time that my life is going fantastic that something like this has to get in the way of everything!" He finally just sank to his knees, his wails and crying being drowned by the thunder crashing in the gray sky. He was wet, cold and in so much severe pain that he wanted to die.

"Ezra!" He looked up to see Aria running out to the rain to his side, kneeling beside him, "Ezra, what are you doing out here in the cold and rain?"

He pushed her gently away, wiping his eyes with his hands as he stood again, "Nothing. I'm not doing anything. And that's what I won't be doing for six months while you're gone!"

"Ezra-"

"Don't 'Ezra' me, Aria! What happened to never leaving again? What happened to us being together for the rest of forever? How do you know that you won't move on while you're in Boston? Six months, Aria! You can't expect me not to worry about what is going to happen to _our relationship _while you're hundreds of miles away from me!"

She looked taken aback at the words pouring out of Ezra's mouth and she wiped her own tears from her eyes, mascara running down her face, "Do you think that I want to go and leave you behind for half of a goddamn year? Ezra, I love you! You don't think that I'll ever change my mind about you again? The rest of forever is still there! And it's not going anywhere!"

"Aria, you've changed your mind before." He harshly retorted and she cringed away from him, "You changed your mind and left me for how long? Nine months? I can't lose you again! I rather die one thousand deaths than say goodbye to you one more time."

She backed away from him, shaking her head in anger and sadness, "I thought we were past this but you're too damn stubborn to admit that I'm never going to leave for someone else again. Let go of your insecurities and trust my judgment. I may have been wrong before but I'm not going to screw this up. We're going to make it work, whether it kills us or not." She shivered and turned her back on him, "I'll have my dad drive me back to the apartment building. Please be willing to talk when I get there."

"Don't get your hopes up." He choked out as he shouted over the thunder. Tears began to spill over his eyelids and his girlfriend who stood in front of him glanced around before walking up to him, encasing his face in her hands, pressing her lips against his. The rain became fire as they remained there for moment after moment. Finally when they broke apart, he slammed her body to his in a tight hug as if he was afraid to let her go, "Please, Aria. Please never leave me to live this life alone again."

Ezra could barely hear her reply as she murmured into his soaked shirt, "Ezra, wherever life leads us, we're going to find our ways back to one another. My heart is forever and always yours. I am never apart from you. Just please never forget that. I love you. Do you hear that, Ezra? _I love you and I am never going leave you to live this life alone. You're mine and I am yours."_

**That is chapter 12 and it was extremely emotional for me to write, especially when I knew what I was going to do with this story and where it is going to on from here. So, please feel free to be mad at me. I know I am horrible for making the relationship so dramatic after they finally started being happy. As promised though: they're going to have a happy ending…EVENTUALLY. **

**A lot of stuff happened and a lot of more stuff is going to happen. Whether Aria's new job is going to tear these two soulmates apart is written in the stars. I am excited for you all to read what is in store. **

**Don't forget to review. As always, constructive criticism, no burning! You guys are all amazing and thank you for being so involved with the story. I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Please tune in for the next chapter. Chapter 13: Can't Get Them Back is up next. Be prepared for a whole new twist to the new aspect to this fanfic. An amazing journey is going to happen. **


	13. Can't Get Them Back

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 13**

**Can't Get Them Back **

* * *

><p><em>Oh, I used up a lot of chances<em>

_I can't get them back._

_But if again it comes calling,_

_I'm gonna make it last._

* * *

><p>The only things visible in the small apartment on the sixth floor of the old building in Rosewood were packed moving boxes as Aria glanced around her and Ezra's home, or former home. Neither of them wanted her to leave the following morning; after all they'd been through to be together as a couple after she returned from Chicago prior almost three months, it was all about to change for the two of them. She was moving somewhere over three hundred miles away. She was going to a different state, to a different city, to a different atmosphere where Ezra would be absent for half of a year before she returned to him and Rosewood. Who knew what would happen in that much time while they were so many miles and hours apart?<p>

Ezra was going to continue to live in their apartment since he cosigned on the lease when he moved in with her a month before. They had the rent paid up through the New Year and he would hold down the fort until his girlfriend returned from Boston in late March. While he waited for her, he would continue working for Hollis in the English department; he'd even taken up two night classes a week since he didn't have anyone to hurry home to. He would also be counting down every day until the love of his life returned to him.

Aria glanced out at Ezra who was standing on the balcony of the loft, his shoulders tense underneath his blue t-shirt, leaning against the railing. His curly dark brown hair was illuminated by the fading rays of sunlight of the end of August day. He'd been pretty quiet around her since she'd received the job offer over two weeks before. He put up a strong front, but she knew him too well not to know that he was hurting because she was leaving Rosewood without him again. When they kissed, his lips were desperate and rough, unlike the sweet and tender kisses that he gave her prior to her new job in Boston. He was afraid to lose her again and she didn't blame him; they'd already gone nine months without each other. What would six months do to their relationship?

She took a deep breath and slipped between the big brown cardboard boxes that filled the small apartment in order to make her way to her boyfriend. She strung her arms around him and he jumped before sighing and taking her into his grasp, pressing his lips into her brunette hair. She felt his hands settle on her waist as he made room for her between him and the railing so then she could lean against it while he pressed himself to her back, his chin resting on her shoulder as their hands entangled in a mess of skin.

They stood like that for about five minutes in pure silence. Aria didn't mind it. She enjoyed just being with Ezra at that moment, in silence, without any interruption; just the two of them for the rest of the evening. She took the time to think about how things would go from the moment she got on the plane to go to Boston. She trusted that Ezra would be loyal to her; he looked at her in a way that she'd never seen any man look at the woman in his life. From the moment he first saw her, his dark blue eyes were softened into a yielding molten of indigo lava, filled with affection and a love so tender that even someone with no soul would melt into a puddle at the precious sight. He truly loved her more than any man had loved a woman. She thought for a moment, _One moment without him in my life is a moment much too long. He makes me laugh. He makes me cry. He makes me smile. He makes me frown. He makes me whole and complete inside. I've never felt this way about _anyone _before him. I feel as though I'm standing in the quicksand of love because I keep sinking in deeper and deeper every time that I'm with him._

Her thoughts were interrupted as Ezra whispered, "Aria, I love you."Before she could respond, he continued in a rather slow manner, "I want you to know that no matter what happens tomorrow that won't change. You're the only one for me and though I wish things could be different, I'm happy for you for landing this amazing job up north. You're going to do amazing up there and when you return to me next spring, I'm never letting you leave my arms again. And I mean that; you're never going anywhere without me after this and if you try to, I'm tagging along. I'll quit my job, pack up my one suitcase and go with you. I'm willing to do anything for you. Anything and everything, only for you. This offer stands for the rest of forever; don't let it expire." He chuckled and buried his lips into her neck, giving it a few gentle kisses before resting his chin back onto her shoulder.

Aria turned her head to face him so then their lips were only a few inches apart, her breath landing on the smooth marble surface of his cheeks, "I'll try not to. Ezra, I love you. How did I get so lucky to land somebody as great as you? Especially after what I did all the way back in the fall-"

"Shhhh. Don't bring that up anymore." Ezra murmured as he looked deeply into her eyes, "I don't want you blaming yourself for that any longer. Let's let go of the past and head straight headfirst into the future. But before that," He drew away from the railing with the first hint of a smile on his face for the first time in weeks, "let's enjoy the moment while we have it." His gaze intensified as his eyes narrowed, his lips pulling at the corners as he looked at her affectionately up and down, "Dance with me."

The blunt offer took Aria by surprise. Her boyfriend of almost two months was more uncoordinated than she was and had no interest in dancing by any means, "Dance? You want to dance out here on our apartment balcony?" She didn't resist him as he pulled her into his chest. His arms entwined around her, holding her to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked up into his gaze as they want to sway around the balcony, "Ezra, you're such a cheesy romantic. Dancing without music on the terrace of an apartment? How lucky did I get?"

He scoffed in response, "Cheesy romance is better than none at all. Speaking of music…" He took his stereo remote out of the back pocket of his blue jeans, pointing it inside. He cracked a smile as the familiar strings of the country hit song, "Just a Kiss" by the group, Lady Antebellum came streaming through the speakers, "I wanted to make sure that you last night here was as special as it could be." He kissed her forehead, "Anything and everything for you, Aria. I mean that. When you're without me for the next half a year and ever need me for _anything_, do not hesitate to call me and I'll be there before you can blink."

_Lying' here with you so close to me  
>It's hard to fight these feelings <em>

_When it feels so hard to breathe  
>I'm caught up in this moment<em>

_Caught up in your smile _

It wasn't long before the couple's lips were locked in a soft yet passionate kiss as they swayed and twirled to the music. The sparks from when they first embraced one another all the way back in November were all but a distant memory now. When their mouths touched now, a wildfire burned through them. She was amazed on how he made her feel every moment that he was with her. He made her so incredibly happy, it wasn't even healthy.

Her mind switched to almost a month ago when they had first made love. It had been so unexpected but so worth it when they were made into one being. They were made for one another in every physical, mental, and emotional way. To describe that night would take a century if not more time. If only Ezra wanted to go that far again. This was going to be the last time that they would be in one other's presence until the spring of the following year. Maybe if she could get him in that bedroom, then it would change things…

_I've never opened up to anyone  
>So hard to hold back <em>

_When I'm holding you in my arms  
>We don't need to rush this<em>

_Let's just take it slow_

Ezra seemed to have the same plans that she did. He picked her up into his strong arms and carried her back into the apartment, and surprisingly avoided tripping over the twenty boxes that filled the living room. He carried her to the back bedroom where their bed was waiting for them. He tackled her onto to it ever so gently as if he was afraid to break her. His hands were all over her body, moving rhythmically up and down her petite legs, his tongue probing open her lips to allow him entrance into her mouth.

Meanwhile, Aria occupied herself with his navy blue t-shirt, pulling the fabric stubbornly, encouraging him to stop kissing her for two seconds so they could be rid of one of the few barriers between their heated bodies. He obliged as she slid it up his agile body, her hands brushing against the subtle lines of his abs. The feeling of them brought butterflies to her stomach. In one swift motion, it was over his head and on the other side of the room on the window seat. Ezra swooped back down to kiss her as his fingers slowly tugged at the hem of her low cut blouse, untying the ties that held it to her body. Once again, he pulled away and helped her with it, leaving her in just her bra.

_I know that if we give this a little time  
>It'll only bring us closer to the love we wanna find<br>It's never felt so real _

_No, it's never felt so right_

They remained in a heated makeout for about five minutes before Ezra pulled away to look down at his girlfriend, his eyes filled with a severe battle of love and lust, "Are you sure, Aria? I don't have any protection in the drawer right now. I stupidly didn't expect this tonight and if I had known, I would have stocked up. I don't want to risk anything-" His girlfriend silenced him with a fierce kiss to his lips as their tongues battled in another war of tonsil hockey.

Aria shook her head desperately in her need for him at that moment as they pulled away once more, breathing heavily, "Ezra, please…." She blinked heavily at him, her words almost a cry as she choked back a sob and tears formed in her eyes, "Please. This is the last night that we're going to spend together for six months. I think we need this…..we both do…" She leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Please…."

_No, I don't want to say goodnight  
>I know it's time to leave<br>But you'll be in my dreams  
>Tonight, tonight, tonight<em>

He sighed and gladly nodded, "You're right. We do need this." He helped his girlfriend slide her short blue jean shorts from her hips and he pushed them off of the bed as he went back to kiss her. This time, his lips were harsh and rushed, as if this would the last time that he would ever see the love of his life. His tongue was wrestling with hers as Aria went to unbutton his pants, sliding them halfway down his hips. Her hands ran to the inside of his thigh, teasing him. He moaned inside of her mouth as he became even more alive, above and below the waist.

Their lips never became unlocked as Aria continued to slowly slide the heavy denim down to Ezra's ankles, torturing him by each passing moment. He kicked them away onto the floor and he smiled against her lips as he murmured, "Finally…. " She knotted her fingers into his curly dark brown hair as she entangled her legs around his waist, knowing what was about to happen between them. Their eyes locked as he pulled away. She gave him the nod of approval that he needed and he smiled as he whispered in a breathless, "When we look back at that this moment when we're old and gray on our front porch surrounded by our family of children and grandchildren, we'll say that this is when magic was made." He kissed her sweaty forehead, "I love you so much."

No more words were said after that except for Aria's hearty and breathless response, _"I love you, too."_ Their lips locked again. The following kisses were tender and light, gentle and a promise. It was a promise that no matter what happened while they were apart, they still had one another. _In every way possible. _

_Just a shot in the dark that you just might  
>Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life<br>So baby, I'm alright with just a kiss goodnight_

* * *

><p>The following morning at exactly eight, Ezra waited as Aria turned to her three best friends who faced her with tears in their eyes in the waiting area of her flight gate at the Philadelphia International Airport. She had ones in her own gaze, threatening to fall any moment. He watched his girlfriend as she swallowed, as if she were willing herself not to cry as she gave each one of them a warm hug, "This isn't goodbye. There is never a goodbye between the four of us. I'll be back home to Rosewood in March."<p>

Hanna wiped a tear that was dribbling on one of her eyelashes, her lips trembling, "You make it sound so far away." She sniffled and took a deep breath as she drew Aria into another hug with the girls overlapping them as they huddled up one last time as the four best friends they'd been since they were nursery school, "Don't forget to call, text, and Skype us. We want to hear every detail of Boston the moment you get to your new place." She tipped her head, "Where are you staying again?"

"It's the cutest little place. It's right off the harbor and it has an amazing view of the entire campus….."

Ezra sighed as the four girls rambled on and on about her new condo just off the university campus. He had already Googled the place. The campus would be paying for her rent while she stayed there. He also looked up her colleagues because he wanted to know who she was going to be dealing with for the post six months. Most were older men and women, but one younger fellow stood out him more than the others for a particular reason. He researched and researched him out of concern for Aria as well for his relationship with her.

The young man's name was Nicholas Marino. He was just five years older than Ezra, standing at the steady age of thirty one. He came from a wealthy Boston family who emigrated from Italy during the World War II period. His father was part of some big winery back in Rome and was the owner of vineyards all around the states. Marino also went to school at Cambridge all his life and then was accepted into Harvard. Instead of staying with the Ivy Leagues like his parents had desired, he went to Boston University. He majored in English Literature and Education, much to his father's dismay. He began as a teacher's assistant and then moved his way up to being a professor. He lived in a large house on one of the vineyards that he'd bought from his dad. In his spare time, he volunteered at the Red Cross and homeless centers all around Massachusetts in addition to playing golf and basketball with his friends.

Ezra was very grateful that Nicholas hadn't protected his Facebook account and alumni pages of BU because now he had all the information he needed. Now here was what worried Ezra so much: Nicholas was single. His relationship status sat at a standstill with history from only a year prior; so, he was obviously looking for a rebound. It's not that he didn't trust Aria; he knew that she would never be unfaithful to him on purpose or by any means whatsoever, but he didn't believe that a young single man wouldn't try to make the moves on his beautiful and youthful girlfriend, who would be without him to protect him for half a year.

He waited patiently, drowning deeply in his thoughts as Aria finally turned to him after saying a few final words with Spencer, Emily, and Hanna as well as sharing a last couple of laughs about things that were obviously private jokes between the four of them. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands found their usual place on her waist, "Well, this is it."

"This is it." He smiled sadly down at her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering on her cool skin, "Call me when you land, alright? Will a car be waiting for you when you get there?"

She nodded, "One of my colleagues is going to picking me up. I think the dean of the university said her name was Katrin or something like that. She'll be waiting for me when I get there. And, yes I will call you. As soon as my feet hit the Massachusetts soil." She looked deep into her boyfriend's eyes, "I love you, Ezra."

_This is really it. She's leaving again. _He swallowed hard as a sob started to form in the pit of his throat, "I love you, too, Aria." He pulled her into him in a tight hug, burying his face in her dark brunette hair, "I love you so much. Please be careful up there without me." A single tear fell from his eyes and slowly rolled down his cheek, leaving a stain in its wake on his skin. He didn't bother to wipe it away. He wasn't ashamed of his public show of emotion. He was going to miss her more than anyone had ever missed the one whom they called their soulmate. The familiar ache in his heart from when she first left in the fall began to overwhelm him. _At least this time I know that she's coming back to me. Something that I never knew for sure in November. She'll be home and in my arms before I know it_, "Remember, call me anytime. I'll drop everything and get on the first flight to Boston."

She pulled away from him and wiped the few tears that had fallen from his eyes, "Don't cry, Ez. I'll be home soon_. I'll be home before you can ever even miss me._" She smiled up at him with a wink, "At least we had what we did last night. So much for waiting." They shared a chuckle and she stretched up to press a kiss to his mouth.

This kiss was like none another that the two had done. The pain, the desperation, the love, and the passion between them and their two and a half month old relationship was all captured in one sweet and gentle embrace that lasted for less than five seconds. The sparks flew and the fire burned as they pulled away from one another. They just stared at each other with burning gazes for moment after moment as they cherished the last few seconds they had together before Aria got on that plane.

An announcement came from the speakers above their heads, "_Attention. Flight 27B from Philadelphia to Boston is now boarding. Have a safe flight."_

Ezra took a deep breath and watched as Aria grabbed her carryon and slung it over her shoulder. She gave one last hug to each of her friends and headed to the open gate. He watched her walk away from him once before; back in November when she was walking away with Hayden's hand being held by hers. The pain of that night would never match to what he felt at that moment. That ache of losing her again…..it was a sting across his skin and a burn in the chambers of his heart.

Without even thinking, he bounded after her and pulled her hand in order to have her crash into his chest. His lips harshly swooped against hers, his tongue not asking permission as it slid into her mouth. It was one last embrace before she was out of his life for the next six months. He didn't want her to go and leave his presence again, but he knew that neither of their desires mattered. She had to go to Boston. And he would be there waiting for her the moment that she got back to Rosewood. Back to his arms that were already missing her.

They separated after a thirty second kiss. They were both breathless and Aria smiled up at him with tear filled hazel eyes, "I love you, Ezra."

"I know. But I love you more." He flashed her the boyish grin which she loved so much, "Goodbye, Aria."

She kissed him one last time, a peck on the lips that meant more to him than anything else in the world, "Goodbye, Ezra."

Ezra reluctantly let Aria leave his arms. She gave him a tiny wave and then disappeared into the dark corridor where her plane waited at the other end. He went to the window to join the girls and leaned against it, his forehead resting on his forearm. About fifteen minutes later, the plane revved its heavy engine up and pulled down the runway. It sped up and sped up, causing more and more distance between Ezra and the love of his life. Tears formed in his eyes as the plane left the ground and ascended into the sky, leaving smoke behind it.

He turned and slid down to a seat on the floor, his face in his hands. A choked sob rolled through him, tears rolling down his five o' clock shadowed cheeks and although, Aria's friends surrounding the floor from which he sat as they made an effort to comfort him, he knew that it wouldn't be that easy. The only person who could comfort him was in the sky on the way to Boston, three hundred miles away from him. Seven hours and nineteen minutes.

He took deep breaths as he fought to calm himself, shaking his head as more tears fell, another sob rolling through him, _As someone once wisely said, whomever they may be, distance is not for the fearful, it is for the bold. It's for those who are willing to spend a lot of time alone in exchange for a little time with the one they love. It's for those knowing a good thing when they see it, even if they don't see it nearly enough...I am willing to wait for Aria. She'll be in my arms again in six months. One hundred and eighty days. _

_Let the countdown begin. _

**There you go. Chapter 13. Now it's a little late and shorter than usual with only 4000-4500 words, but at least it's up and updated. Chapter 14 will be way better, especially since it contains some adorable scenes. It will also be focused around a special event. **

**This will be the last update for a couple of weeks. I won't be around my computer (or internet for that matter) in order to update. I'll make sure to get as much written as I can while I can though. Terrified will be updated tomorrow or Wednesday as well. **

**As you all know, I am not one to beg for reviews but on the last update, I was very disappointed on how many I received. Chapter 12 was 8500 words long which I took all day to write. So, not getting the response I was hoping for, it discouraged me a little bit, though not enough to cause me to stop writing. So, if you really enjoy this story, please do a writer a favor and review. I'm extremely grateful for each one I get. ****As always, constructive criticism, no burning!****Pretty please with a shirtless Ian on top?**

**All of you who read this story are amazing and I love you all. See you soon with the next update-Chapter 14: If Again it Comes Calling. **


	14. If Again It Comes Calling

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 14**

**If Again It Comes Calling **

* * *

><p><em>Oh, I used up a lot of chances<em>

_I can't get them back._

_But if again it comes calling,_

_I'm gonna make it last._

* * *

><p>The early morning sun gleamed off the glass-like water of the Boston Harbor, streaming through the thing creamy yellow curtains that covered the windows of Aria's two bedroom condo, pouring onto her sleeping face as she slowly awoke from her deep slumber. She blinked against the faded New England sunrise and gradually was able to gather enough will power to push herself up into a sitting position. Out of habit, she turned to see if she could find Ezra's snoozing body beside her, laughing deep in his throat, his musky breath in her ear.<p>

The sheets were an eerie ice cold in the space next to her and then she remembered the circumstances that they were in; it was September 9th and she was in Boston, Massachusetts. Though she was physically in her new home, her heart still lied three hundred and forty three miles away from the one bedroom apartment in Rosewood, Pennsylvania where her boyfriend was going to be celebrating his 27th birthday without her. She'd already been away from him for days and it was killing her inside, as if she had drank poison and it was slowly making its way through her bloodstream. Sure, they sent texts to one another and spent hours upon hours on the phone, but it wasn't the same without his arms encasing her to his strong and agile body, his lips pressed into her hair.

She missed his touch. She missed his kisses. She missed the smell of his skin after a run; musky and sweaty mixed with Axe body spray. She missed his laugh. She missed the twinkle in his dark blue eyes; the smoldering indigo lava from the sapphire depths. She missed his boyish smile. She missed his messy and wavy curly dark brown hair with the once piece always falling into the way of his eyes. She missed the hold of his hand, his long and gentle fingers making patterns on her palm. She missed him sleeping beside her, chuckling away in his sleep. She just missed _him. _

Aria sighed and rolled out from underneath the bedspread, stretching and glancing at the time on the alarm clock. It was 6:00 on a Saturday morning and she wasn't required to go to campus today. Apparently, they were having a small get together for the English department at one of her colleagues' homes to welcome her to Boston University, as when she first arrived, she started her second day in the state and the only people she'd met in Boston were the dean, the professor who had picked her at the airport whose named was Katrin Danielson and her next door neighbor and fellow teacher's assistant, Haley Russet. She'd been in Massachusetts for almost two weeks and only knew those three people. She didn't feel like making any close and lifelong friends since she'd be leaving in six months.

One of the professors at the university had certainly caught her eye in passing though. She'd run into him while in a rush to get to the bank in time to cash her first check a week ago the previous day. She had been star struck. From his mocha brown tan skin to his charcoal black hair gleaming in the fluorescent lighting, he was a beautiful man. His intelligent emerald green eyes had twinkled friendly at her and he'd opened his mouth to speak before she snapped out of her trance and rushed out of the English building, not looking back. His name was still unknown to her, though he had no need to know it, as she had no interest in a man who wasn't Ezra.

After taking a half an hour to get ready for the day and with a bowl of cereal in her hands, Aria walked into the second bedroom, where the majority of her moving boxes still lied all over the room. She'd set up her desk with a lamp, notebooks and pens, her laptop and its charger. Then there were all of the papers that were still waiting to be graded in stacked folders. She needed to have them done by Monday and she'd hardly touched them, even though she had fifty to grade. She ignored them for the moment and opened her laptop. It was still on Skype from her last session with Ezra three days before. As soon as she went online, a call came and she smiled, knowing who it was from. She clicked the green video button and waited for the video to come in.

Soon she was looking at her boyfriend's smiling face, his curly hair longer than she remembered, dripping with sweat from the warm weather outside; he must have just gotten back from his routine morning workout. He wanted to get a haircut so badly and finally be rid of them, but she forbade him to do so. She loved his hair too much to see the wavy locks disappear. He blinked at the camera with sparkling blue eyes, his boyish grin on his lips, his white teeth gleaming, "Well, hey there sleepyhead. Happy Saturday. You're looking as radiantly beautiful as you always do." He sighed, "Fourteen days down, a hell of a lot more to go. How's Boston?"

"It's Boston. The weather is ADD and I'm constantly on my feet, running around. Being a TA isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'm exhausted all the time and I never seem to get enough sleep." She yawned to show him her exhaustion and they both laughed before she gazed at him with a heavy groan, "So, birthday boy, what are your plans for your 27th celebration of the day of your birth? No trips to the strip club in Philly with your college buddies, right?"

"Dammit, you caught me." He shrugged with a shake of his head and his smile grew by every passing second that he looked at his girlfriend, "But seriously, you know that that type of thing isn't my scene. Kenneth said he wants to talk to me today and fix things. I'll be meeting him, Natalie and Emma for lunch at The Brew. He also told me that he wants to give me something special for my birthday." He snorted, his jaw tightening, "It's funny how he's just now coming around and you're gone. He's such an asshole." He stopped himself before he sighed again, shaking his head again and continuing, "It's out of graces to my mother. She doesn't like her sons fighting and I want to settle things between us before they get too bad to repair. Plus, his wife and daughter will be there to make sure that neither of us say things that we don't mean. Other than that, I won't be do anything special as I turn another year older. I'll just be here in our apartment, grading essays, eating the birthday cake that my mother made for me since I'm a hermit and hardly ever leave my apartment, listening to all of the songs on my iTunes that remind me of you."

She giggled and slid underneath some cover of her dark brunette hair to hide the red patches on her cheeks, "So, what should I get you for your birthday? Anything more specific besides books and socks, I meant? I meant to ask you but I forgot the last time we talked on the phone."

He thought about it and then slowly replied, "Get me a time machine so I can travel to March 12th when you come home and have you in my arms again." He inhaled a shaky breath before continuing, "Then maybe I can start breathing again without having it feel like knives are going through my heart."

Tears pricked the hazel depths of her eyes and she wiped them away before he could see them, "Is that going to translate into, _I miss you, Aria_? Because I miss you more than you miss me, I can guarantee you that."

He shook his head, "We're not getting into this stupid and cheesy argument again that couples get into in those romantic comedies that we watched together almost every night, other than the _Notebook _and _A Walk to Remember_. I miss you more than anything else in the world and that's final." Though he was trying desperately to be firm, his voice broke into a chuckle, "Missing you is basically the only thing I plan to be doing until March and I am perfectly fine with that. These Skypes, calls, and texts just aren't the same, are they?"

Aria shook her head, a tight sad smile falling to her lips as she blinked back at her boyfriend, sorrow falling upon all of her features, "I was just thinking the same thing about ten minutes ago. Every morning I wake up and look for you, but I always end up just finding cold sheets beside me and remember that you're over three hundred miles away back in Rosewood." She hesitated and looked down at her hands, playing with the ring Ezra had given her. He'd bought it out of one of those twenty five cent machines and though it was just a plastic diamond ring, it meant more to her than the engagement ring Hayden had given her.

Ezra's eyebrows creased and she could see him growing worried, "Aria, what's wrong? Has something happened in Boston that I should know about?" He smirked, a slight pull at the right corner of his mouth, "Do I have to kick someone's ass because they messed with you? Tell me what is on your mind."

"I'm going to be gone for six months, Ezra. I already left you for nine when I went back to Chicago with Hayden." She watched as his jaw tightened at the mention of her ex-fiancé's name, "Why are you always sticking around for me, even when it hurts you so much? You could have easily found someone else."

He thought it for a second, his expression growing soft and loving and then his boyish smile reappeared on his face, "A lot of psychologists would probably ask the same thing." He sighed and locked eyes with her through the screen that seemed to be the only thing separating them, not the seven hours and three hundred miles distance between Rosewood and Boston. As usual, his dark blue eyes encased her in a spell, making her so hypnotized by the loving indigo lava depths, "You really don't know what kind of impact you make on people, do you, Aria? When we first met all those days again in November, I felt something for you right then. The spark, the fireworks, and the goose bumps I got every time I looked at you weren't things I'd ever felt with another woman. You had me tied around your finger the moment you told me your name." He swallowed hard before continuing, "When you left in November, I remembered the old saying, I wasn't ready to give on the hope that you were never coming back. So, when I was working on your dad's car in July and saw that you were back, I knew that it was meant to be between us." His smile widened, "I think there was a quote from the Bible that I saw once when I was flipping through it." His eyes grew distant as he began to recite the words, his voice as sweet as honeycomb and hushed as a whisper, "_Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away._"

A single tear rolled down Aria's cheek and she didn't bother to wipe it away, "Now would be the time where I would normally kiss you and tell you what a cheesy romantic you are." They both laughed and she blinked at him, "I love you more than anything, Ezra. I wish I could put it into words on how I feel about you. I would have to write a novel."

"I love you, too, Ar. More than you'll ever know." A knock came from her condo door and he laughed, "I better let you go. We can Skype again later when you get home from that party at Nicholas Marino's house."

Surprise hit her like a ton of bricks, "Wait, how do you know his name? I know I told you about the party and where it was going to be, but I've never even met the guy, yet he wants to throw me this huge 'Welcome to Boston' thing at his place. I'm not one for crazy get-togethers with strangers. So, Mr. Fitz, tell me what you know from all of your stalking these past few weeks."

Ezra smirked, "Well, you don't think I would have let you go to Boston without me without doing my FBI trained research on all of your colleagues, now do you?" He rolled his eyes, "Nicholas Marino. Thirty-one. Single. Italian. Lives in a large house just outside of the city. His family has tons of money from all the vineyards his father owns both here in the US and in Italy. He majored in English Literature and Education at Boston, both master degrees." He drummed his fingers against his desk, "He hasn't had a relationship for over a year, according to his relationship status on Facebook, so steer away from being alone with him. I trust you, but I don't trust that he wouldn't try and take advantage of a beautiful woman like you."

"I'll keep all of that in mind, Ezra. Great researching skills you have, though. You don't have anything to worry about with me. My heart belongs to you and only you. And if he tries anything, I'll take of it and then call you so you can fly up here and finish the job. " She shook her head as another knock came to her door in addition to a calling of her name, "I better be going before the person at the door completely loses their patience." She kissed the palm of her hand and blew it to the camera before making a heart with her hands, "I love you."

He caught the kiss in his fist and pressed it to his lips. He copied her heart with one of his own, though it was pretty misshaped compared to hers, "I love you too." They remained like that before he reluctantly moved the mouse arrow to the _End _button and soon his face was once again from her view, though the fresh image of him in her mind was a breath of fresh air in which she missed with every ounce of her soul. Not having him with her was the hardest thing she'd ever been through.

Aria went to go answer the condo door and when she opened it, she saw the two familiar faces of her new friends, Katrin and Haley, "Hey you two. What brings you here so early?" She led both of them into the small living room of her temporary home. She had a 40' inch flat screen television sitting on a stand in the farthest wall opposite of the door, surrounded by two chairs and a large blue leather sofa that reminded her so much of the apartment back in Rosewood. Books lied everywhere in addition to notebooks filled with lesson plans for the semester.

Katrin shrugged, "We thought we could go shopping before the party at Nicky's. You haven't seen much of Boston yet and you may want to know where you're going to be for the next half of a year." Her parents moved from their home in Sweden when she was less than a year old. She had a slight accent to the tone of her voice from being raised in a Swedish-speaking home, but it was hardly noticeable with her excellent knowledge of the English language. She had long, luscious dark hair, a deep chestnut auburn which fell to where it brushed against her shoulders. Her eyes were the color of Nutella. She was just a little bit taller than Aria and she was the professor who had picked her up at the airport when she'd first arrived in Boston. She was one of the smartest people she'd ever met; not to mention one of the sweetest.

Haley added quickly, her hazel eyes blinking enthusiastically, "We know the place with the best crepes for breakfast. I'm hungry at just the thought of them! Come on, come! Let's get moving!" She rubbed her flat stomach as she and the other two women laughed. Her light brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and hung against her back. She was probably one of the most energetic twenty-one year olds that Aria had ever met. She loved any kind of food and drank more Dr. Pepper than what one would think was possible. She blasted Shinedown that shook her whole condo, which was right down the hall from Aria's; about five or six doors down. From the moment she'd met her, she knew that the two of them would get along just fine.

Aria giggled and tucked a loose lock of her long brunette hair behind her ear, "Haley, calm down. It's only 7:00. We have plenty of time to get to the restaurant."

Katrin looked at her up and down with a narrowed gaze, "You seem very moony-eyed right now. Were you talking to that boyfriend of yours?" When her new friend blushed a deep scarlet red, she nodded slowly in understanding, "I'll take the blemish on your cheeks as a yes. How have you been adjusting to being away from him? I can tell whenever you talk about him, you're head over heels for him. He sounds pretty amazing. An English professor who knows how to use tools and treat his woman like a real lady."

She nodded and smiled at the thought of Ezra with his dark brown curly hair falling into the way of his smoldering blue eyes, his boyish smile upon his soft pink lips, all of his pearly white teeth flashing brightly against his tanned skin, "He is one of a kind. Every time I'm around him, I feel like I'm around the sun."

"Is this him?" Her friend asked as she picked up a photo of her and Ezra from the table in the middle of the living room. Aria smiled. The picture was from the day he'd moved in with her. Spencer had taken it without them knowing while they were packing up some of his books into boxes. She'd been curled up beside him, her head on his shoulder as he had his lips pressed into her dark brunette hair, his eyes distant as he murmured loving words to her from his copy of _Romeo and Juliet_, "He's really cute. Like _really_. He hit a home run with him, Aria. He's a beautiful man. Those curls look absolutely divine and _that smile_." Katrin shook her head with a grin and she paused as she looked up, her brown eyes narrowed as she asked,_ "_What was his name again and does he have a brother?"

"Ezra. Ezra Fitz. And yes, he does. Too bad that Kenneth is married." She wiped her eyes as tears began to prick the corners of the almond-gray orbs, "As for the answer to your question, I'm going day by day without him. It's hard because we share an apartment together down in Rosewood and we've hardly been apart since we started dating. He's the reason, apart from help from my dad, why I got the job here in Boston. He was considered for the position, but he loves teaching English at Hollis too much for him to have left. Since I didn't have a job and was scrambling for any type of teaching job, he recommended me for this one. He thought it was going to be in Philly, so if he'd known we would be so far apart, he probably never would have done what he did." She shrugged and sighed a heavy and shaky breath, "Maybe he still would have. I don't know. I'm not a big fan of 'what if' questions. We're both adjusting, even though it's been pretty damn rough to get used to not waking up beside him every morning."

Haley thought about all of this for a moment before quietly and casually asking her, "So, is he good in bed?" Both Aria and Katrin's heads snapped to the laughing twenty-one year old and she shrugged, her shoulders shaking with the intense giggling, "I'm just wondering. From what it sounds like, you two have been busy between the sheets more than once. So, I'll ask you the question again: is Mister sexy as hell Ezra Fitz good in bed? I swear that your answer will stay between us. I won't ever bring it up in front of Ezra."

Her cheeks were as red as a tomato as she struggled to choke out between her loud laughs, "Oh yes, yes he is. He's also the best kisser. He has these really soft lips and every time that they're against mine, I just feel like I'm seeing the stars for the first time." She took a deep breath and grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, "If we're going to get to the bakery on time, we're going to need to get going. The crepes are only going to stay fresh for so long."

Haley rubbed her flat stomach again with a bright smile, "I would eat them even if they were stale. I'm so damn hungry."

Aria laughed as she followed her two new friends out of her condo. She missed Ezra more than anything else, as she'd expected when she left Rosewood two weeks before. However, now that she knew she had friends who were trying to understand the pain of saying goodbye to the man she loved so much and being so many miles away from him, it would be a lot easier for her to bear. She looked back one more time at the photo of her and Ezra sitting on the table. She smiled and blew a kiss from the palm of her right hand and then made a heart with both of her hands, making it the only thing she saw as she slowly closed the door and went to go join her friends at the end of the hall, ready to have fun for the first time in weeks without Ezra at her side.

* * *

><p>Ezra slowly sipped on his caramel macchiato with a hint of almond milk, his dark blue eyes narrowed as he drummed his fingers waiting for his older brother to arrive. He didn't know and really didn't care what Kenneth had to say to him. Ever since the fallout with his reaction to Aria spending the night in his apartment over a month ago, the siblings haven't spoken and Ezra didn't care whether he left it that way or not. He was only there to appease their mother, who wanted the argument between them to cease.<p>

As they always did when he was alone, his thoughts flew to Aria. The familiar ache in his heart began to set him and he squirmed in the bench of the booth of which he sat, his heartbeat rising as he remembered the last time he touched her. The last time he'd seen her in the flesh and not through his laptop screen with a glitch internet connection; only two weeks before as she walked away to get on the plane, their hands and love had been torn apart as she boarded the flight that would have her away from him for six months, three hundred and forty three miles away from the grasp of his arms that longed for her presence again.

He swallowed hard and blinked up at the ceiling to try and drown out his pain before he closed his eyes and remembered their last night together. Skin against skin, lips against lips, and heart against heart as they made bittersweet love to one another for the last time until March. He softly smiled as he remembered the feeling of being completely vunerable and open with the woman who made his heart sing more than a mockingbird on a spring day. His love for Aria Montgomery had no words. And the way she made him feel left him speechless each and every time.

Finally, he saw the chestnut brown hair of his niece, Emma and he smiled as she began to squirm around on her father's shoulders, her hands patting the top of his head in anticipation of seeing her favorite and only uncle. Natalie, his sister-in-law, followed closely behind them with another person who made Ezra's heart stop right in place. Her jet black hair radiated in the fluorescent light of the coffee shop, her naturally copper brown skin flush against her chocolate brown gaze. He was now looking in the eyes of his old childhood friend, Laura Martinez. Their parents, before the divorce between his own, had put them in the playpen together when they were just infants and they were friends from then until they were ready to go off to college. Last time, he'd seen her, she had still been a girl; braces, glasses, the whole bit. Now she was a radiant woman and he felt his cheeks heating up.

He stood to greet the lot and Emma immediately crawled into his arms from her father's shoulders, squealing in her three year old voice, "Uncle Ezra, happy birthday!" She wrapped her little skinny arms around his neck, pressing a wet kiss to his cheek.

He laughed and hugged her tightly, pressing his lips into her wild brown hair, "Hey there, Ems. Dang, you're getting so big! What have your mommy and daddy been feeding you? I thought I told them to lay off all of the performance enhancers." He kissed her forehead before balancing her on his hip as he hugged Natalie, "Hey, you."

"Happy birthday, old timer." She hugged him back before pulling away and pushing a piece of his curly brown hair out of the way of his dark blue eyes, "You're so good with her. You need to come into the city more often than you usually do. She needs her uncle Ezra. She looks up to you quite a lot." Natalie murmured and he knew that she knew about the disagreement going on between her husband and his little brother. She dropped her voice to a hushed tone, "Aria can come along if she wants to when she comes back from Boston. I bet Emma would love her just as much as she loves you."

He looked at her with narrowed blue eyes as he slowly nodded hesitantly with a reluctant smile before turning to his older brother, his heart hardening. Kenneth ignored the glare he was receiving from the younger Fitz brother and turned to his wife, handing her a fifty dollar bill, "Could you take Emma and Laura up to order? I need to speak with my little brother alone for a minute." Natalie nodded and took Emma from Ezra, against the little girl's wishes as she squealed in reluctance of leaving the uncle she hardly ever got to see.

Laura shot a flirtatious smile at him and his heart began to hammer before he could stop it, "Hey there, Ezra. It's been too long. It's nice to see you." Before he could say anything in response, as he couldn't find the words to say since his tongue was in knots, she gave him a tiny wave and looked at him up and down as she followed Natalie and a crying Emma to the front of _The Brew_.

As soon as the three women were out of hearing distance, Ezra's attention snapped back to his brother, who was staring at him with a blank facial expression, "Why did you bring Laura? To try and get my mind off of Aria while she's over three hundred miles away from me up in Boston? Are you trying to get me to hate you forever? Because if that is the plan, it's working rather well." He huffed out a deep breath in anger and frustration as he plopped back down into his seat, taking a long slug of coffee, wishing it were his favorite brand of scotch instead.

"Good to see you, too, little brother. Happy birthday, by the way."

"Just talk about what you wanted to talk to me about before I walk out that door without looking back."

Kenneth sat across from him, running his hand through his hair, "Ezra, I didn't bring Laura to make you upset or out of spite for the distance now between you and Aria. I did it for the exact opposite." He looked away and some of Ezra's anger fell away, "I did it because I know how you miss Aria. I can see it in your eyes how much you miss her, whether I like her or not. I brought Laura so then you could have a friend while she's gone. She and you always used to have the best times together. I was jealous of your friendship at times, to be perfectly honest. She works as a secretary at the hospital and we got talking and she mentioned how much she missed you. So, I thought I would get you two reunited." Before his brother could say anything more than a mumbled _bullshit_, Kenneth continued, "As for what happened in August, I'm truly sorry. I overreacted and wouldn't even listen to what you were saying. I left you with you nowhere to go, though Mom told me that you found shelter in Aria's apartment."

"I did and we became closer because of it. It didn't tear us apart like you had planned." Ezra hesitated before continuing, his words slow and careful, "Ken, I don't want to be in this fight with you again because I'm honestly sick of it. It's been over a month since we last spoke. Like it or not, I love Aria. I loved her from the first time I saw her sitting in that bus seat. She and I are going to be spending the rest of our lives together. I know there is a lot of distance between us right now-_in every literal sense _-but I plan on marrying her one day and starting a family with her. There is no one else out there for me. She's the only one I have eyes for now. So, say what you want about her and her past, but you'll _never _know her like I do." He glanced over at Laura, who was staring back at him, "Don't lie to me. You brought Laura here to get me away from Aria. Well, here's the thing, Ken. Nothing you could say or do could ever get me away from her. If I had had the choice, I would have gone with her to Boston, leaving everything behind to be with her. I couldn't, though, because I have a two year contract that I have to stick to. By then, Aria will be back if things go to plan."

Kenneth's jaw tightened and he looked away, his fists clenched, "Fine, you caught me. Ez, I don't think that you understand what you look like to those around you. When she left in November and left you in the dust behind her as if the affair with you had never even happened. Now the whole thing with Boston, you're waiting for her _again _and I honestly don't understand why you can't see it from my point of view. Stop, living in your fantasy and get it through your head that she's not the committed type of woman! It's time for you to move on with your life and accept the fact that she's not yours to keep."

Without a word, Ezra pushed himself up to his feet, grabbing his coffee and headed to the exit door, his brother calling after him. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his arm and he whipped around to see Kenneth's olive green eyes flaming emerald sparks back at him, "It's hard to hear the truth, isn't it? That's why you're leaving. You don't want to admit the fact that I'm right about this."

"I'm leaving because I won't just sit there and listen to you trash my girlfriend's name. Sorry, Ken. I have to go. Thanks for making my birthday extra special." He muttered and pushed his brother away from him. He continued on his path to the door, running into Natalie, Emma and Laura on his way out, "Sorry, ladies, I have to get moving. Something came up on campus." He crouched down and looked at Emma, "You and your mommy are welcome any time at my and Aria's apartment."

Emma's bottom lip trembled and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she had done early, sniffling, "But I was going to give you the birthday present I made for you." She wiped her baby blue eyes and pulled a birthday card in a bright blue envelope from Natalie's hands and then put it into Ezra's, "It's for you and Auntie Aria so you guys can be happy together. Happy birthday, Uncle Ezra!" She sniffled again and buried her face into his neck.

"Aww, Emma. Thank you so much. I'll make sure to show it to her the next time we Skype. I'm sure she'll love it just as much as I will." He kissed his niece's forehead affectionately and gave her one last squeeze before letting her go and getting to his feet, the birthday card in his hand. He gave his sister-in-law a one-armed hug and whispered, "I'm always available for babysitting her if you need somebody. I know three girls who would love her too."

"I'll keep that in mind. You better put that present of yours into good use. It wasn't easy to convince Ken to buy it, but after my constant begging, he finally caved." Natalie laughed before she gave his shoulder an affectionate pat and picked Emma up into her free arm, "Say goodbye to your uncle Ezra. We'll be seeing him soon, I'm sure." She winked at her brother-in-law before turning to go join her husband at the back of the coffee shop, leaving Laura and Ezra alone.

Laura raised her eyebrows at him, "Something came up on campus on a Saturday? You're still a sucky liar, Fitz." She giggled and shook her head, "I know about this girl who your brother doesn't like and to be honest, I don't like the way he talks about her at the office. Then he brought up meeting up with you sometime and here I am. He is trying to play matchmaker but is sucking big time at it." She rubbed his arm comfortingly, "I can see that you really love this girl. You wouldn't be having this huge fight with Kenneth if you didn't. It sucks that it has to be this complicated over a relationship that really has nothing to do with him."

"Well, he can think what he wants about Aria, but there is no way in hell that I'm giving her up. I already lost her once to another guy, so that's not going to ever happen again. I love her to dead, Laur Laur. She's the one for me."

She smiled and moved closer to him, "I better be getting over there before your brother gets the wrong idea about us being alone together just as he always did when we were kids and would tease us about dating." They both laughed and she stretched up to kiss his cheek, "It was really nice seeing you again. You haven't changed a bit, except for the fact that all of your baby fat is gone and you're letting the curls finally grow back again. I thought you hated them."

"Aria loves them though. She has forbade me to even think about cutting them off. Trust me, I've asked many times. But whatever makes her happy, I am willing to do and if that means me looking like a dork with these incredibly long curls of mine, I'll do it." He chuckled and gave her an awkward hug, "I'm glad to see that you're no longer that dork you used to be when we were kids." She slapped his chest and pushed him away with her cheeks blushing a deep scarlet red. He had to admit that she was radiant with such a color on her skin. He blinked at her with a smile, "I better be going. See ya around, pal."

"See you." She looked after him with a mysterious twinkle in her eyes as he walked away without looking back at the coffee shop or at his old best friend who was once again in his life after a nine year absence. He knew that nothing romantic was ever going to happen between them and so did she, no matter what Kenneth thought. He was just happy to have her at his side again.

* * *

><p>Nicholas Marino's home was just as extravagant as Ezra had described; it was more like a mini mansion on a large vineyard with horses and a golf course. The driveway was gated but no guard stood watch. The house itself was four stories tall with two swimming pools and small theater room. The guest party took place outside by the aground pool as it was actually a nice day in Boston. Wine flowed everywhere and Aria was embarrassed that all of this fuss was to welcome her to the university. She stood around with a glass of white grape wine, the glass at her lips. Katrin had left her to go talk to some of their colleagues and Haley was nowhere to be found. According to rumors around campus, she was seeing some other TA, but no one had ever seen the two of them together for sure.<p>

As Aria slowly sipped on her wine, the tall dark man she'd run into a week before concluded his conversation with the dean of the university and began to walk over to her. He wore a simple white button down shirt, which really brought out the copper brown tone of his skin and it was tucked into a pair of very dark and very simple blue jeans. His black hair shone brightly in the fading Massachusetts sunlight and his emerald green eyes glinted jade ashes friendlily at her, "Are you enjoying yourself, Miss Montgomery?"

"Very much so. It's a lovely party. I'm sorry about running into you the other day. I was in such a rush and-"Aria began to stutter out, distracted by this mysterious man's overpowering gaze. Somehow, though, she brought herself back with a quick though of Ezra's soft and loving face. She was determined not to be overwhelmed by a complete stranger. Her loyalties belonged to her boyfriend and only her boyfriend. She took a deep breath and asked, "So, how do you know my name?"

He laughed and shrugged, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, "Well, I guess it's proper for a host to know all of his guests' names. Especially the guest of honor herself." He smiled brightly at her, "We've never officially met." His hand shot out, "Nicholas Marino. But everyone calls me Nicky."

Her heart stopped beating for a moment as she grasped his hand with one of her own and shook it, "Wait, _you're _Nicholas Marino?" Suddenly the room started spinning and it wasn't from the wine she was drinking. She felt sick to her stomach and felt like she was about to throw up because she was so nervous and possibly from the shrimp she'd eaten only a half hour before. She took a few deep breaths.

Nicholas smiled and nodded as he carefully watched her, "Were you expecting someone better looking? I don't blame you. My ex-wife left me with a few gray hairs and stress lines in my forehead after our divorce last year." He sighed, shaking his head in amusement, "Aria, it's not a big deal about this party. This extension project is an important part of BU's development in addition to Hollis's. So, I thought I would give you the proper welcome. Have you meet a couple of people in the higher ups and maybe get you to stay a little bit longer after the project is over. As an English professor, perhaps?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her before laughing. It faltered when he could see that she was feeling a bit overwhelmed and her legs wobbled a bit in the high heels strapped to her feet.

_Suddenly everything was black….._

The next thing she knew, she was outside on a balcony couch on the second floor of the mansion with a wet rag on her head. She slowly sat up and stretched with her head pounding with an skull-splitting headache. A glass of water sat beside her on the table. From where she sat, she could see Nicholas, or _Nicky _as he wished to be called, was leaning against the railing, his back to her. He was relaxed, his hair shining brightly in the light from the full moon.

Once she was able to push herself to her feet, where her high heel shoes were now absent from, sitting beside the couch, she went to join Nicky by the railing, taking a spot beside him, "What happened?"

He jumped when he heard her voice and then relaxed once more, "Well, you fainted. I don't know what it was from. Hopefully, not from me because I took three showers before the party started and used a quarter of a bottle of Italian cologne_. Acqua Di Gio_ by Giorgio Armani, which was a gift from my father last Christmas. Sixty bucks for a small quart of it." He laughed as he shook his head in amusement and she couldn't help but laugh with him. Now that he mentioned it, he did smell really good. _Really, really good_. She moved closer to him, so close their arms were almost brushing. He looked at her with concern on his face, "Are you feeling better now? Can I get you anything?"

Her stomach was still upset, but she didn't think that was from the shrimp she'd eaten earlier. It was from him, from Nicholas. He gave her butterflies every time he looked at her with those big green eyes of his, full of warmth and friendliness…She stopped herself at that moment. She had a boyfriend. She had the most perfect boyfriend waiting for her to return to him so their lives could pick back up where they left them before she left. He was staying loyal to her. She needed to stay loyal to him. She loved him more than anything else in the world. Nicky was her colleague and new friend, not anything more and she was determined to keep it that way. Aria would never be unfaithful to Ezra. _Never. _

She distanced herself from her new friend and shook her head, "No, I think I'll be alright." She brushed off her dress, which was white with different shades of blue on the ruffles on the bottom, "We better be getting back to the party. They must be missing you down there. You are the host after all." She smirked at him and walked over to the couch in order to fetch her things

He shrugged as he helped her with her shoes and purse, "Parties really aren't my thing. It was the dean's idea and I volunteered my home for the event." He led her downstairs to return to the hustle and bustle of the wine drinking and small talk of English literature. Aria thought immediately that this kind of party would be Ezra's kind of thing. He would be in full conversations with all of the professors about _To Kill a Mockingbird, The Scarlet Letter, Catcher in the Rye, The Tale of Two Cities _and poems by Ernest Hemmingway and Edgar Allan Poe. He would have loved being there with her.

Nicholas looked over at her as they sat together on the comfortable fire-engine red sofa in the living room, surrounded by all of their colleagues, "You seem kind of distracted. Is everything alright?" There he went again with those big green eyes. He reminded Aria of an unsatisfied puppy, "Are you missing Rosewood? Or _someone _in Rosewood?"

"Well, of course. That's my hometown and that's where my family and all of my friends are."

He nodded in understanding, his eyes knowing, "And I'm guessing that one of these friends isn't just a friend. What's his name and what does he do?"

"You're one smart guy." Aria smiled and rolled her eyes, "His name is Ezra. He teaches English at Hollis. I met him in November last year and we've been attached at the hip every since." This was the story that she and Ezra had agreed on telling to strangers since neither of them felt like explaining the nine months they'd spent apart from each other because of the circumstances of those times, "He's a very well-educated man and we've been living together since the beginning of August, so being without him is a little hard."

"Ezra? As in Ezra Fitz? I know him. I spoke to him on the phone when the dean wanted to hire him for this position. He suggested an Aria Montgomery many times and though the dean was not happy, he decided to talk to the head of the department down at Hollis and here you are." Nicky nudged her gently, "I had no idea that you two were a couple, otherwise I would have gotten him a job as a professor up here. It's kind of heartbreaking to see a romance going long distance." His eyes went distant, "Trust me I know."

Before she could ask him what she meant, Haley and Katrin came up from behind them. Haley asked, "Hey, sorry for interrupting your conversation but Ar, are you ready to go?" she saw Nicholas sitting there and smiled, "Hey, Nicky. Thanks for the invite to the party. I really appreciate it. "

"No problem, Haley. It was a pleasure having you here. It a pleasure having all three of you ladies here tonight." Nicholas helped Aria stand with a comforting and warm hand, his grasp gentle and caring. It caused goose-bumps to begin to crawl all over her body. He blinked friendlily at her with a small smile, "It was nice meeting you _officially, _Aria. I'll see you around campus." With a nod to all three ladies, Nicky walked away, with his hands shoved back into the pockets of his jeans.

Katrin looked at Aria with a narrowed gaze, "What in the hell was that all about?"

"What was what about?"

Haley tugged on her arm desperately, "Aria, you were just _flirting _with the hottest professor in the whole department; maybe even the whole staff at the university. He's been dodging the ladies since the divorce with his wife last year and here he was, making those big puppy eyes at you. Do you know what this means? Nicky Marino _likes _you."

"Don't be ridiculous, you two. We were just talking." Aria shook her head in amusement and as she followed them back to Katrin's BMW, she started to think. Nicholas was being awfully nice to her. Not just nice; _flirtatious _would be a better word for their conversations that evening. She wondered if he thought that she would be interested in him before he knew that she was seeing someone else. Now she understood what Ezra was talking about when he said that Nicholas would try and get her interested him. _I'll have to make it clear that I want nothing but a friendship from him. My heart lies with Ezra and no one else. I am his and he is mine. _

* * *

><p>Ezra smiled enthusiastically as he plopped down on his leather sofa with his laptop on his lap. He took the plane ticket out of his pocket again. It was a two way ticket for him to go to Boston between September and January. Thereof, Kenneth and Natalie had given him the greatest gift that he could ever ask for. He now had a chance to see Aria the first time he would get off this semester, which would be for a week in November for Thanksgiving. They could spend their first anniversary together, just as they had planned before the whole with the position in Boston popped up. He would keep it a surprise from her until he showed up in her lecture hall with only a satchel on his shoulder.<p>

Even though he missed and worried about her every minute of every day, he was glad that he had suggested for the job. She had been scrambling for work for months, just as he had been last fall when he'd lost his job in Ohio. She had needed I and even though it wasn't in Philadelphia like he'd expected, he didn't regret it. Now he would just have to go on and try to get by without her in his arms as they cuddled at night in their bed and watching _The Notebook _and falling asleep upon quoting the entire movie. He was going to try and get on without her sleeping beside him with the scent of her strawberry shampoo in his nostrils, almost a drug for him as he was addicted to the scent. He was going to try and get on without her laughing at all of his lame jokes. He was going to try and get on without her lips against his, in kisses so passionate that he didn't want to ever stop kissing her. He was too in love with her for it to be healthy.

Finally, Aria want online and he laughed as he sent a video call request. The request was accepted almost immediately and soon he was looking at the face in which he loved so much. Aria smiled and looked back at him with loving hazel eyes, "Hey there, birthday boy. How did you enjoy your special day?"

"Well, after I said bye to you, I went to have coffee with Ken, Natalie, and Emma. Plot twist in the story, though! Ken thought that I could easily be distracted by your absence, so he brought along my old childhood friend, Laura, to keep me 'company' while you're gone. And by company, I mean he was trying to get my mind off of you, face the fact that you haven't changed and go after someone whom I've known since I was six months old. So, I guess you could say that I left _The Brew _a little bit earlier than I was expecting, which upset Emma. Speaking of my adorable niece, "He held up the drawing Emma had done for him and Aria. It was a muddled heart with two smiling stick people in the middle of it. It was messy, as expected by a three year old in nursery school, but it was the cutest and sweetest thing that he'd ever been given in his twenty-seven years. In the corner, she tried writing a quote, which Natalie had translated into eligible English in her own handwriting, _Home is where the heart is, _"She made this for us."

"What a cutie pie." She giggled, "Ever think about having kids, Ezra?"

The question caught him off guard, but he shook it off with a shrug of his shoulders as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, maybe. Eventually, I would love to have a son or daughter of my own because sharing my niece with my brother and his wife isn't going to work forever, especially not right now. I was lucky I even got to hold her today." He looked into the camera; an effort to lock gazes with her, "How about you, Miss Montgomery? Would you ever like a child of your own?"

He nodded, "I've always wanted kids of my own. Ever since I was in high school, I have wanted a little baby who I can call _mine_. Why do you think I taught first graders at an elementary school in Chicago for over a year?" They both laughed and she continued to nod, her eyes growing distant, "Maybe one day, Ezra, you and I will have that privilege of having a baby of our own."

He flashed her a bit of his boyish smile and nodded, "It would be a pleasure to father your children, Aria. Even though, just so you know, I hear that the baby _making _process is the most fun of the whole thing." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and they both laughed; only harder this time and once again, the pain in his heart began to swell and he squirmed in his chair, "So how was your day? Did you have fun at the party?"

"Other than the fact that I get insanely sick over some shrimp, it was really fun." She laughed, "I met Nicholas by the way. He's just as you described: tall, dark, handsome, filthy rich with sixty dollar cologne. He's very humble, though and I think we're going to becoming great friends before I return to you in March."

Jealousy bit him like a snake, but he did his best to ignore it as he nodded and said, "I'm glad that he's there to look after you then." He sighed a deep breath and asked her, "So, are we going to do this thing or not?"

Shenodded enthusiastically and reached beside her where a cupcake was sitting on a plate on the table in her living room. He took out his own, only his had two candles for a two and a seven, representing how old he now was. He lit it with a match and blew out the flame on the match and ran over to flip off the lights before plopping down again, setting his laptop on the living room stand. He waited for Aria to start singing and when she did, his heart fluttered like a bird in the southern winter skies, _"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Ezra, happy birthday to you. And many, many_," Aria smiled at him with wobbly lips, tears appearing in her eyes, "_many more to come._"

Ezra made his wish in his mind, focused on one thing and one thing only, _I wish for always and forever with Aria and only Aria. I want nothing more to spend the rest of eternity with her at my side. _He blew out the candle and soon it was dark other than his laptop screen lighting up the area surrounding him. He grinned at Aria and murmured softly, _"I love you, Aria. Always and forever, I will love you and only you. You're the love of my life and I'm never going to let anyone or anything change that."_

"_I love you, too, Ezra. Happy birthday." _

** There you all go. Chapter 14 is now all wrapped up AT LAST and it is officially the longest chapter I have ever written for any of my fanfics. I am have reached my goal of 10,000 words (including this author's note) without even trying to reach it this time around! So, I hope all of you enjoyed it. It was so cute and fun to write. A bit more peaceful than the past three or four chapters. I promised this break to a couple of different readers and they've been waiting patiently for it. **

** A guest reviewer made a good point that I'd like to highlight it. Whether I get the reviews I want or not for each update, I'm still going to write. A close writer friend of mine (shoutout to minjasparkler!) says it best when she says that she writes for herself and is sharing her story, even though she doesn't have to. I'm gonna go by the same analogy: I write really because I love to write. Writing is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing and I love sharing my stories. So, going by that, I'm just going to gently remind all of you to give me feedback of some sort. Whether it's short or long, just a few words of encouragement work. As always, constructive criticism, no burning! All of it is taken professionally, not personally. Thank you in advance! **

**Katrin, Haley and Laura are all based off of a few good friends of mine that haven't gotten their shot at being featured in any of my stories. So, after all of their encouraging words and loyalty through IKT, Double Infinity, and Romance to Last a Lifetime, not to mention all of my Lucian stories,, I thought they deserved characters of their own. There you go, girls! **

**I don't know when I can update next. Things are sort of chaotic at the moment, but as soon as I can, I will update. Speaking of updates, Terrified will be getting one tomorrow or Saturday. I will also be starting a new ten-shot story which will challenge me as much as DI and IKT have. You'll just have to see what that's all about, even though some know already….Stay tuned for more info! **

**All of you who read my stories and have been awaiting this update for the past month, thank you so much for being so patient. Your loyalties are so meaningful to me and I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you and look forward to the next update. Chapter 15: Gonna Make it Last.**


	15. Gonna Make It Last

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 15**

**Gonna Make it Last **

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><p><em>Oh, I used up a lot of chances<em>

_I can't get them back._

_But if again it comes calling,_

_I'm gonna make it last._

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><p>The funny thing about mornings is that they are never planned, never amusing, and never fun. They're a living hell for those who don't like to the sight of the first light of the day. Aria was always more of a morning person herself. She loved watching the sun coming up over the horizon of the trees, sparkling over the Boston Harbor. She loved making coffee and smelling the scent of the roasted beans, the bitter yet sweet scent filling her nostrils. She loved catching up on the news, both there in Boston and back home in Rosewood. Most of all, she loved staring at the photo of her and Ezra sitting on the living room center table.<p>

It was mid-October. Aria had been working at BU for almost two months and she was enjoying herself so far. Sometimes, though, when she was away from shopping on her days off with Katrin and Haley and the occasional friendly coffee meetings with Nicky, though Ezra was extremely uncomfortable with them being alone together, and when she was just alone away from everything, she would sit down on her leather sofa, curl up in his sweatshirt and the wool blanket from his bed that he had given her and stare at that picture on the living room center table for sometimes hours at a time until she woke up with it in her arms in the morning, cuddling it to her chest.

Sure, they would Skype, FaceTime, text, and talk on the phone, but it wasn't quite the same as waking up beside him, with his disgusting morning breath in her face or his sweet chuckles filling the air, his curly dark brown hair falling around his gentle face. Or when they would try to cook together and would just end up making a mess in the kitchen after a food fight. Or all those times when they would spend hours upon hours wrapped in one another's arms. She still felt the touch of his lips. She still felt the touch of his fingertips. She still felt the feeling that she got whenever she caught him looking at her with those sparkling dark blue eyes shining out at her from the smoldering cobalt depths.

She still felt their last night together when they had made _magic_ between them.

There was no doubt that Aria missed Ezra, but the pain of leaving behind him in Rosewood was slowly beginning to fade away. She knew that she could trust him. He was more faithful to her than any other man had been combined. Plus, he was doing his very best while being without her, impressing all of the much older professors with his skills of teaching at barely twenty seven years old. He was actually just rewarded a bonus and her father, Byron, said that with the way that things were going for him, he could be headed to big places in both his teaching and his writing. He absolutely loved his colleague and treated him as if he were his son and Aria knew that that meant a lot to Ezra, as his dad was never involved in his life after he turned twelve, apart from a birthday crap until he turned twenty-one. So, she had to wonder if they could tell her father about them sooner than expected.

Aria, the usual morning person, pushed herself into a sitting position in her bed as soon as her alarm went off to get up for the day and that's when it hit her again. The skull-splitting headache that made her head want to explode. She didn't know why, but for the past week, she'd been getting the worst migraines than what she had ever had in her life. Sometimes, in the middle of her lecture hall, she would be hit with one out of nowhere. Then other times she would just randomly snap into a state of anger or another state of fatigue or the worst: the hysterical crying for no apparent reason.

She went to swing her legs around the edge of her bed and suddenly, the movements made her feel ill. She coughed a few times, trying to get the catch out of her throat. Almost immediately, she felt bile burn the walls of her throat. The young woman quickly ran to her bedroom's bathroom, flipped the toilet seat up, and began to vomit, the liquid burning her mouth as her body rid her of it. Sweat began to crawl on the creak of her forehead and it streamed down her face. She clenched her stomach and continued to retch into the white basin, her hazel eyes squeezed shut tightly in intense pain.

Her mind began to wander. _What is making me so sick? Did I eat something that gave me food poisoning? That chicken at the Thai restaurant from dinner last night was cooked all the way through and if it was from that, wouldn't I have felt sick before now, nearly fourteen hours after I've eaten? _Another round of bile rushed through her mouth and she ducked her head to where it barely hung over the edge and retched yet again into the toilet. She felt weak. She felt tired. She felt like the world was suddenly upon her shoulders, threatening to crush her.

Aria remained in that same position for at least ten minutes before she finally felt like she was done and had the strength to pull away, her whole body shaking as if she felt a draft. She collapsed against the bathtub, sweat making dark patches on her light gray night shirt. She glanced at the tiny clock on the bathroom counter sitting above her, her eyes squinting to see through the tears that were taking up the corners of her eyes. It was half past seven. She was running behind and she had to be at campus by eight for an English department meeting so then the faculty could discuss and exchange ideas about semester exams coming up on December. She knew that she was not going anywhere today, though. She didn't have the strength. She didn't have the rest. She didn't have anything that would make her even think that she would be leaving her apartment.

The young woman summoned the power to push herself up to her feet, her knees shaking as she gripped the counter for balance. She looked in the mirror and forced herself not to grimace. There were deep and dark circles underneath her eyes, red vine-like cracks within the depths of the hazel orbs mixed with the puddle of tears splashed against them. Her hair was held back in a messy ponytail, dark strands falling around her face which was now covered with dried tears and sweat. Her shirt was dirty and wrinkled. If Ezra saw her right now, he would already be driving her to the hospital, as she was not her normal self.

Suddenly a knock came from the door of her apartment and Aria cursed as she stomped to answer it. It was either Katrin or Haley, wondering why she was running so late this morning. However, when she opened it, she saw the all too familiar intelligent and friendly emerald green eyes of Nicky Marino and her stomach flipped with despair, almost causing her to feel sick again.

His black hair fell messily around his forehead. He had told her that he ran out of his favorite kind of hair gel and couldn't find it anywhere anymore because the company was bought out, so he was going without it until he found another brand that worked as well. He was dressed in a simple maroon colored dress shirt which the sleeves were rolled up above his elbows with khakis, his usual tie missing from his attire since he didn't have to usually go in to campus on Thursdays. He held two coffees in his hands, a bright smile shining against his dark skin appearing as she opened the door.

"Hey there Ar-" He broke off as he took in her appearance and his grin quickly fell from his face and soon turned into a tightening of his mouth, his eyes shining with worry, "You don't look so good. Are you feeling alright?" When Aria didn't answer his question, he glanced away from her, his teeth biting down on his bottom lip, "I'm sorry if you feel like I'm intruding in on you this morning, but I thought I would surprise you and then walk you to campus for that meeting. From the looks of it," He looked at her up and down, "you're not going anywhere this morning."

"What are you talking about? I feel just dandy." Aria sarcastically responded and retreated back into her apartment, leaving her colleague standing awkwardly at the doorway.

"Is that so?" He smirked at her, still hesitating at the doorway, "It always seems that you're sick when we see each other. Should I be offended?"

She shrugged without answering his question and sighed as she tightened her ponytail, "You can come in if you want to. Just don't get too close."

Nicky nodded and shut the door behind him before following his friend into the living room, where she was now plopped on the sofa, wrapped in Ezra's blanket. He sat near to the armrest of the couch and set her coffee on the table in the middle of it. Her lips pulled up the tiniest bit at the corners; she could smell her usual, which was regular with a shot of vanilla and mocha. They'd been out to coffee at least six times, so Nicky must have picked up on it, as he always picked up the tab for the bill of hers.

Silence sat between them for at least two minutes, causing them to hear the clicks of the wall clock and the drips from the kitchen faucet. Finally, Nicky looked over at her, glancing up at her up and down with worry in his eyes. She caught him staring at her and rolled her eyes before ducking her head, "You're not allowed to do that."

The corners of his lips twitched as if he was resisting the urge to smile, "I'm not allowed to do what exactly? Please elaborate, Ms. Montgomery." He blinked those deep green eyes at her, his long lashes batting against his skin.

Aria's heart skipped a beat and she felt her cheeks heat up, "You're not allowed to look at me like how my boyfriend looks at me. It's not like you care like he does about me. He's the love of my life and it feels like you're entering his territory when you stare at me like that." She watched as Nicky looked away again and she laughed darkly, "See, I caught you there."

He rubbed his hands together as he worked to find the words. He finally met her gaze again, guarded and mysterious, "Look, Aria, I'm not trying to make you feel like that and I'm sorry that I am. With all due respect, though, Ezra isn't here and I am." He glanced at the photo of Aria and Ezra on the table, his face blank with no visible emotion except the hardly noticeable tightening of his jaw, "I know you love him and from what I understand, you two have a very unique relationship. I would never want to threaten that. However, he isn't here in Boston to take care of you when you're sick. I am here, willing to help you past whatever this sickness and for your information, I know a great recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup. It's an Italian thing. We _love _to cook." He wiggled his wiry dark eyebrows at her before looking down at his feet on the floor with a wide smile.

Aria glared at him with narrowed hazel eyes, her nostrils flaring, "Don't you think I know that he's not here? Trust me, Nicholas, _I know! _I come home from work every day, waiting for him to greet me with a kiss and a hello. I go to bed every night, waiting for him to show up beside me, holding me in his arms. I wake up every morning, waiting for him to start laughing in his sleep. After all of that, I still feel the pain of leaving him _all over again. _ We've been apart for almost two months and I miss him."

Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them away, refusing to let Nicky have of the satisfaction of seeing her cry as she continued, "I miss him more than words can even describe. Don't make it harder on me by looking at me like he would. Because if it weren't for a legal contract that he's bound by law by, he'd be beside me at this very moment."

Her friend protested, his words rushed from his mouth, "I didn't mean to upset you like this, Aria. I was just-"

"Then just stop talking, Nicky!" Suddenly, another migraine hit her and she winced, causing more tears to fill up in the hazel orbs of the depths of her eyes, "Goddammit! What is making me so ill all of a sudden?" She mumbled a couple of swear words underneath her breath. Her stomach was churning again and she clenched it tightly, pulling her knees into her chest, "You don't need to see me like this. You can leave if you're done talking to me. Thanks for the coffee and the lecture. I appreciate it a lot." Another wave of nausea hit her and she felt bile burn the walls of her throat.

All of sudden, she was up on her feet and running into the bathroom, squatting in front of the toilet, retching once again into the white basin. Choked sobs caught in her lungs, making her throat burn even more. If she could only the pain that's eh was in at that very moment…._What in the hell is going on? I have all of my shots. I take vitamins C and calcium caplets to keep me healthy in addition to eating plenty of fruits and veggies. Plus, I exercise three times a week at the campus gym. I shouldn't be so sick, yet I am. _

At last she was able to fall to the bathroom floor, her breathing heavy as she fought to put oxygen back into her body. Aria clenched her eyes, gasping as she mumbled words underneath her breath as if to calm herself. When she opened them, she found that Nicky had followed her and now he was standing beside the sink, his green eyes narrowed with worry and his face pale. She wiped her mouth and struggled to sit up and lean against the bathtub, glaring up at him, "You should have left. You don't need to see me like this."

Nicky reached for a hand towel and handed it to her as he squatted down beside her. He looked at her as she wiped her mouth, his gaze soft, "Aria, I'm your friend. There is no need for you to send me away." He opened his mouth to say something else but changed his mind and he quickly shut it, not meeting her eyes.

"What were you about to say?" Aria grumbled as she fought to work the taste of vomit out of her mouth.

He waited a few moments for her to relax and catch her breath before carefully saying, his words gentle and soft as if he were speaking to a child, "Aria, if you don't mind me asking and if you do, don't answer this question, but when was your last menstrual cycle?"

Silence was met with that question as the petite brunette stared dumfounded at the man whom just crossed the boundaries of their fragile friendship. _Why would he even ask that? Sure, I've missed the last two for September and October, but sometimes periods are just irregular. It's not like I'm pregnant or anything…Oh my goodness. Am I _pregnant_? How could that be? Ezra and I used protection our first time and we were careful. Besides we haven't had sex since the beginning of August. The signs would have shown up before now, wouldn't they? _

_Holy crap. The night before I left….we didn't have…..Oh. My. Goodness. _

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><p><em><strong>August 26<strong>__**th**__**. Eight weeks earlier….**_

_Maybe if she could get him in that bedroom, then it would change things…_

_Ezra seemed to have the same plans that she did. He picked her up into his strong arms and carried her back into the apartment, and surprisingly avoided tripping over the twenty boxes that filled the living room. He carried her to the back bedroom where their bed was waiting for them. He tackled her onto to it ever so gently as if he was afraid to break her. His hands were all over her body, moving rhythmically up and down her petite legs, his tongue probing open her lips to allow him entrance into her mouth._

_Meanwhile, Aria occupied herself with his navy blue t-shirt, pulling the fabric stubbornly, encouraging him to stop kissing her for two seconds so they could be rid of one of the few barriers between their heated bodies. He obliged as she slid it up his agile body, her hands brushing against the subtle lines of his abs. The feeling of them brought butterflies to her stomach. In one swift motion, it was over his head and on the other side of the room on the window seat. Ezra swooped back down to kiss her as his fingers slowly tugged at the hem of her low cut blouse, untying the ties that held it to her body. Once again, he pulled away and helped her with it, leaving her in just her bra._

_They remained in a heated makeout for about five minutes before Ezra pulled away to look down at his girlfriend, his eyes filled with a severe battle of love and lust, "Are you sure, Aria? I don't have _any_ protection in the drawer right now. I stupidly didn't expect this tonight and if I had known, I would have stocked up. I don't want to risk anything-" His girlfriend silenced him with a fierce kiss to his lips as their tongues battled in another war of tonsil hockey._

_Aria shook her head desperately in her need for him at that moment as they pulled away once more, breathing heavily, "Ezra, please…." She blinked heavily at him, her words almost a cry as she choked back a sob and tears formed in her eyes, "Please. This is the last night that we're going to spend together for six months. I think we need this…..we both do…" She leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Please…."_

_He sighed and gladly nodded, "You're right. We do need this." He helped his girlfriend slide her short blue jean shorts from her hips and he pushed them off of the bed as he went back to kiss her. This time, his lips were harsh and rushed, as if this would the last time that he would ever see the love of his life. His tongue was wrestling with hers as Aria went to unbutton his pants, sliding them halfway down his hips. Her hands ran to the inside of his thigh, teasing him. He moaned inside of her mouth as he became even more alive, above and below the waist._

_Their lips never became unlocked as Aria continued to slowly slide the heavy denim down to Ezra's ankles, torturing him by each passing moment. He kicked them away onto the floor and he smiled against her lips as he murmured, "Finally…. " _

_She knotted her fingers into his curly dark brown hair as she entangled her legs around his waist, knowing what was about to happen between them. Their eyes locked as he pulled away. She gave him the nod of approval that he needed and he smiled as he whispered in a breathless, "When we look back at that this moment when we're old and gray on our front porch surrounded by our family of children and grandchildren, we'll say that this is when magic was made." He kissed her sweaty forehead, "I love you so much."_

_No more words were said after that except for Aria's hearty and breathless response, __"I love you, too."__ Their lips locked again. The following kisses were tender and light, gentle and a promise. It was a promise that no matter what happened while they were apart, they still had one another_.

In every way possible.

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><p>Dread filled Aria's bones as her hand fluttered down to her stomach, her eyes breeding new tears. She stuck her fingers beneath her night shirt and ran them across the skin there. She couldn't feel anything except the regular shape of her stomach. However, something in her just told her that she was pregnant. She was only twenty-three. She still had a lot to experience before she was ready to settle down and have a family. Being pregnant right now was <em>not <em>a part of her plan.

Hell, being in Boston, three-hundred and forty-three miles away from her boyfriend hadn't been a part of her plan either.

She was not ready for the responsibility that was brought with having a child. She was not ready to take a break from her career and become a mother. She was not ready for the_ cost_ that she would have spend to hundreds of thousands of dollars for eighteen years. She was not ready to stop being selfish in her life to give it to another human being who would depend on her for the early years of their life. She was not ready to tell Ezra that he was going to be a father. Her stomach clamped up at the thought of telling Ezra that.

Aria knew that they had talked about starting a family together in the _future_, when they ready physically, emotionally, mentally, and _financially _after they were _married. _If he knew that she could be pregnant, he wouldn't react well. What if he left her to raise their child on their own, with no help or resources? Ezra said that he would love her and support her through whatever she did or wherever she went but that may change when he had to take on the role of a being a father, which was something he never had when he was growing up with divorced parents. He wanted to be a better dad to his kids than what senior Fitz was to him and Kenneth, leaving them to fend for themselves as young adults after he picked up and left their lives except for the occasional birthday and Christmas cards after he and Dianne divorced.

She couldn't believe what was going on her head at that moment. She was actually thinking about the possibility of her and her boyfriend of three months becoming parents. The fear spread throughout her entire body, making her numb and dead inside. She didn't want to be dealing with this. She didn't want to be dealing with the fact that in just a matter of months she would be holding a newborn baby in her arms. She finally had direction in her life and this was going to _screw up all of it_.

The brunette gasped for breath and Nicky looked over at her with a knowing gaze, "So, you are, aren't you?" He swallowed and lowered his voice as if it was a secret and they were in a room of crowded people instead of her condo's main bathroom, "You're pregnant? Or do you think you're pregnant?"

"I-I don't-t know." Aria stammered out and she fell back against the bathtub, enjoying the coolness that it brought to her sweaty body, "I've missed my last two cycles, but I figured because of my birth control that it was being irregular. I've missed a couple of times since June…."

That was when she remembered that the night she and Ezra had last been together, she had forgotten to take her birth control pill. She had had no idea that they would have sex that night, so she hadn't worried about. But then it happened and now here she was: crying in the bathroom of her apartment in Boston, Massachusetts, over three hundred miles away from the father of her possible child. She felt like an idiot for not taking better control of her body.

She turned to look into Nicky's eyes, trying to see through the tears in her own, "Nick…." She choked up and buried her head into the maroon dress shirt that sat on his chest. He rubbed her back comfortingly, humming soft words to her, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright, "I'm going to need to take some pregnancy tests to make sure that I really am….you know, _pregnant_._" _Even the thought of it sent chills down her spine, causing goose bumps to travel across the surface of her skin.

"Of course. I'll go to the drug store later and pick some up."

He chuckled as if to settle her down with a bit of humor as he continued, "I remember this conversation that I had with my ex wife when she was pregnant with our son." He smiled sadly and wiped his own eyes of the tears forming, "It was a bit happier since we'd been trying to have a baby for at least eight months when she was finally able to get pregnant. Raising a baby was tough but at least we did it together. One of the last things we did as a couple…." His gaze grew distant as his words trailed off. From what she'd heard from Katrin and Haley as well as much of the English department, the cause of the divorce between Nicky and his wife was unknown beside the fact that their child was sick. Their son, whom never seemed to be given a name or an age, was currently with his mother where she lived in Maine at a medical treatment center.

Nicky broke out of his trance and after a deep breath, he continued, "Aria, you and Ezra are going to do fine. Maybe you can get him up here for a long weekend. I would gladly pay for the airfare. It's not like I can't afford it and you two will need all the extra money you can get to save up. Babies are not exactly cheap." His jaw tightened and Aria had to wonder if he was thinking about his own son whom he never got to see anymore because of tension between him and his ex-wife, "We can get him up here and you guys can talk about what you're going to do. Whether to keep the baby, put it up for adoption, or as a last resort, terminate the pregnancy."

Aria hesitated. She didn't expect, if she was _pregnant_, that she and Ezra would take the third and final option of getting an abortion. Their child, if she was in deed pregnant, was made from a pure and innocent love from their last night together before she left for Boston. So, her two final options would be either keeping the baby or giving it up for adoption; though Aria didn't think that she would ever have enough strength to give her own child to someone else. And, if Ezra even wanted to be involved, she didn't think that he would have the will power to do that either.

That was when it finally hit her.

She, Aria Montgomery, was pregnant. Her body was telling her enough. No tests were needed to prove it, though she knew she had to do some to make sure that all this worry wasn't for nothing of course. She was in the process of bringing another human being into the world, where it would depend on her for bringing it upright into society and into a loving home where his or her parents would cherish every second with them, where it would depend on her for food, shelter, and water, where it would depend on her for clothing and a proper education with financial support, where it would depend on her to chase their nightmares away and to read them bedtime stories when they were having a hard time falling asleep.

Aria was going to be a mother.

_Now will Ezra accept the fact that he's going to be a father? _

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><p>Love wasn't easy to come by in Ezra's life. He didn't even know what it felt to be in love. He didn't know what it looked like. His parents were never the best examples when it came to that sort of thing, after they divorced when he was only twelve. It always seemed to flutter away just outside of his reach before he could catch it, like a child letting go of a balloon, watching it floating it float away into the sky. But after he met Aria, he felt like there was finally a string around his wrist to keep her to him.<p>

He was doing well at Hollis, which was often his distraction away from Aria. He was just awarded a bonus for all of his overtime and extra time put with each of his students. Byron was helping him with some of his lectures and the two were becoming as close as father and son as time went on. That meant a lot to him; however, he had to constantly lie to him about his relationship with the older man's daughter. They were going to wait until November, but now with the whole with Boston, they were going have to extend that time frame to when Aria came back in March.

Ezra rubbed his eyes as he worked to stay awake. He was running on only three hours of sleep. Lately, since about the beginning of October, he'd been feeling like something was going with Aria that she wasn't telling him about in their Skype sessions or phone calls and he was unable to sleep, sick with worry about her dealing with something so far away from him. He felt as though a huge responsibility was coming for them and that their lives together weren't going to be as they thought they were. He couldn't his finger on it. It was one of the strangest feelings he'd ever had in his life.

It was lunch time and he had the option to go into campus to get a bite to eat with his colleagues, but he got caught up in some of his writing so he was trying to get all of the words written down. He was hit by inspiration all of a sudden by real experiences in his life recently. All of them were about him and Aria naturally and all of them took the form of a poetic power from deep within his soul. His mind flew back to eight weeks before when magic had been made….

_**Our Last Night **_

_**Goodbyes are never easy.**_

_**They hardly ever feel right.**_

_**You and I are not exception.**_

_**Especially on our last night. **_

_Ezra whispered, "Aria, I love you."Before she could respond, he continued in a rather slow manner, "I want you to know that no matter what happens tomorrow that won't change. You're the only one for me and though I wish things could be different, I'm happy for you for landing this amazing job up north. You're going to do amazing up there and when you return to me next spring, I'm never letting you leave my arms again. And I mean that; you're never going anywhere without me after this and if you try to, I'm tagging along. I'll quit my job, pack up my one suitcase and go with you. I'm willing to do anything for you. Anything and everything, only for you. This offer stands for the rest of forever; don't let it expire." He chuckled and buried his lips into her neck, giving it a few gentle kisses before resting his chin back onto her shoulder._

_Aria turned her head to face him so then their lips were only a few inches apart, her breath landing on the smooth marble surface of his cheeks, "I'll try not to. Ezra, I love you. How did I get so lucky to land somebody as great as you?"_

_**We were both scared.**_

_**Tears were shed.**_

_**Words were spoken.**_

_**Then something magical happened that wasn't in my head. **_

"_Let's let go of the past and head straight headfirst into the future. But before that," He drew away from the railing with the first hint of a smile on his face for the first time in weeks, "let's enjoy the moment while we have it." His gaze intensified as his eyes narrowed, his lips pulling at the corners as he looked at her affectionately up and down, "Dance with me."_

_"Dance with you? You want to dance out here on our apartment balcony?" She didn't resist him as he pulled her into his chest. His arms entwined around her, holding her to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked up into his gaze as they want to sway around the balcony, "Ezra, you're such a cheesy romantic. Dancing without music on the terrace of an apartment? How lucky did I get?"_

_**The timing had been off.**_

_**For a while, I'd been planning something different.**_

_**But I wouldn't take back anything.**_

_**Not even for a minute.**_

_They remained in a heated makeout for about five minutes before Ezra pulled away to look down at his girlfriend, his eyes filled with a severe battle of love and lust, "Are you sure, Aria? I don't have any protection in the drawer right now. I stupidly didn't expect this tonight and if I had known, I would have stocked up. I don't want to risk anything-" His girlfriend silenced him with a fierce kiss to his lips as their tongues battled in another war of tonsil hockey._

_Aria shook her head desperately in her need for him at that moment as they pulled away once more, breathing heavily, "Ezra, please…." She blinked heavily at him, her words almost a cry as she choked back a sob and tears formed in her eyes, "Please. This is the last night that we're going to spend together for six months. I think we need this…..we both do…" She leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Please…."_

_**Our hearts were racing.**_

_**Our fingers were frantically roaming. **_

_**Yours eyes remained locked with mine.**_

_**We already knew where we were going. **_

_He sighed and gladly nodded, "You're right. We do need this." He helped his girlfriend slide her short blue jean shorts from her hips and he pushed them off of the bed as he went back to kiss her. This time, his lips were harsh and rushed, as if this would the last time that he would ever see the love of his life. His tongue was wrestling with hers as Aria went to unbutton his pants, sliding them halfway down his hips. Her hands ran to the inside of his thigh, teasing him. He moaned inside of her mouth as he became even more alive, above and below the waist._

_Their lips never became unlocked as Aria continued to slowly slide the heavy denim down to Ezra's ankles, torturing him by each passing moment. He kicked them away onto the floor and he smiled against her lips as he murmured, "Finally…. "_

_**The passionate craze between us**_

_**Had never been so intense.**_

_**Our love will always be this strong.**_

_**It's something anyone can sense. **_

_She knotted her fingers into his curly dark brown hair as she entangled her legs around his waist, both knowing what was about to happen between them. Their eyes locked as he pulled away. She gave him the nod of approval that he needed and he smiled as he whispered in a breathless, "When we look back at that this moment when we're old and gray on our front porch surrounded by our family of children and grandchildren, we'll say that this is when magic was made." He kissed her sweaty forehead, "I love you so much."_

_No more words were said after that except for Aria's hearty and breathless response, __"I love you, too."__ Their lips locked again. The following kisses were tender and light, gentle and a promise. It was a promise that no matter what happened while they were apart, they still had one another. _

_**You deserve someone who can give the world.**_

_**Someone way better than me.**_

_**Our situation right now is rough,**_

_**But, baby, we are meant to be. **_

_She pulled away from him and wiped the few tears that had fallen from his eyes, "Don't cry, Ez. I'll be home soon__. _I'll be home before you can ever even miss me._" She smiled up at him with a wink, "At least we had what we did last night. So much for waiting." They shared a chuckle and she stretched up to press a kiss to his mouth._

_This kiss was like none another that the two had done. The pain, the desperation, the love, and the passion between them and their two and a half month old relationship was all captured in one sweet and gentle embrace that lasted for less than five seconds. The sparks flew and the fire burned as they pulled away from one another. They just stared at each other with burning gazes for moment after moment as they cherished the last few seconds they had together before Aria got on that plane._

_**I'd love you like that again**_

_**Any day of the week**_

_**You never fail to make my heart race **_

_**Each time you stroke my cheek. **_

"_And, yes I will call you. As soon as my feet hit the Massachusetts soil." She looked deep into her boyfriend's eyes, "I love you, Ezra."_

_He swallowed hard as a sob started to form in the pit of his throat, "I love you, too, Aria." He pulled her into him in a tight hug, burying his face in her dark brunette hair, "I love you so much. Please be careful up there without me." A single tear fell from his eyes and slowly rolled down his cheek, leaving a stain in its wake on his skin. The familiar ache in his heart from when she first left in the fall began to overwhelm him, "Remember, call me anytime. I'll drop everything and get on the first flight to Boston."_

_**I would give anything **_

_**To go back and relive our last night.**_

_**Because it was the very best of my life.**_

_**Things had never felt so right.**_

_Without even thinking, he bounded after her and pulled her hand in order to have her crash into his chest. His lips harshly swooped against hers, his tongue not asking permission as it slid into her mouth. It was one last embrace before she was out of his life for the next six months. He didn't want her to go and leave his presence again, but he knew that neither of their desires mattered. She had to go to Boston. And he would be there waiting for her the moment that she got back to Rosewood. Back to his arms that were already missing her._

_They separated after a thirty second kiss. They were both breathless and Aria smiled up at him with tear filled hazel eyes, "I love you, Ezra."_

Ezra was broken from his trance as he heard a knock on the door that led into his office and he looked up to see his girlfriend's father standing there. He smirked at his older friend, "Hey, Byron. Sorry that I couldn't make it to lunch today. I was just doing some writing before it's gone and out of my head forever."

Byron shook his head with a smile upon his lips as he said, "Oh it's fine, Ezra. You didn't miss anything important. Just a bunch of old farts discussing old offers." They shared a laugh and he drew in closer to his desk, looking at the papers that still set beneath his hand, which held a ball point pen, "What are you writing about? I've been telling you, kiddo. Don't be hiding out in this office, writing the next piece of literature that will have you win a Pulitzer."

Ezra quickly shuffled the papers underneath his folders that were on his desk in an effort to hide them. If Byron were to ask about whom the poem was about, he didn't think that he would be able to lie about it. After all, every time he even thought about having sex with Aria, his cheeks would turn into a deep scarlet. And having her _father _hearing that would have Ezra's ass ran over by a bus, "It's really just some drafts. I'll let you see the final copy when I'm done with it." He was quick to change the subject, "So, have you heard from Aria lately? How is she doing up in Boston?"

He was always sure to ask about Aria as if they were only friends when really, he loved her more than a human being should feel about another. He wished that he could tell Byron about their relationship at that very moment, but he knew that he had to wait, no matter if he wanted that or not. It would probably be better if Ezra was holding Aria's hand when they told him. And that was going to be the following year when she returned to Rosewood.

Byron smiled and shook his head once more, "It's really nice of you to always about her. How well do you even know her?"

Ezra swallowed hard as he made himself busy with stuff on his desk and gave the older man a shrug in response to his question, "A close acquaintanceship, I suppose. I haven't spoken her too many times after she came back from Chicago, even though we were neighbors for a short time before she left. She was always very kind to me though and I appreciated that.""

His friend nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I get that. She really appreciates you taken the lease up on her apartment though. At least she knows that it's going to be there when she comes back in one piece. She sympathizes your situation with your brother. She said that it's unfortunate that he would kick you out over something as simple as having a woman staying overnight at your place. I mean, come on. My brother and I were never that close but he would never do something over the top like that."

Ezra coughed, feeling his chest tighten up with guilt from lying to his girlfriend's father, still fiddling with organizing his desk before he had to get back to his lecture hall for his next class, "Well, he felt that it was the right thing to do. I'm just grateful that Aria offered me her apartment when she did, otherwise I would be living in a box in front of your house."

"Nonsense. That's what a guest bedroom is for." His friend grinned and shook his head in all good humor, "I'm assuming this is the woman you were waiting to come back. The one who left in November? If you were willing to the very strict rules of your brother's apartment, she must be pretty important and special to you, kiddo." He blinked at the younger man knowingly, "Am I wrong?"

He hesitated before he slowly shook his head back and forth, "She is the love of my life. She had to take off again a couple of weeks ago right before Aria left, but yes, she is incredibly important to me. Our time together was worth all of my brother's anger."

"That would be the male hormones speaking right there. If sex is involved, then everything is worthwhile."

They shared a rumbling laugh as Ezra's cheeks heated up. _If only he knew_….He thought as he looked at Byron up and down with a sympathetic expression on his face, changing the subject once more to get him to feel less guilty about lying to his mentor and friend, "Do you miss her? Aria, I mean? She does seem to jump from place to place a lot." He inquired as he shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't know his girlfriend at all, taking a sip of his coffee from his Hollis College mug.

"She's moved around a lot. I miss my baby girl. You should get to know her a little bit better. You two would make great friends out of one another. She likes old American Literature, art, and the same style music as you do." Byron smiled as he talked about his daughter, "She's pretty darn amazing. Both of my kids are young adults whom their mother and I are very proud of."

"You and Ella did well with them both." He continued to refuse to meet Byron's eyes, "From what I know about Aria, she is a very young determined and bright young woman. Not to mention beautiful." His cheeks blushed pink as he asked again, "So how is she in Boston?"

"Well, she's been busy, as it is the middle of the October, almost halfway through the first semester. She's made a couple of close friends." He thought for a moment, "Three, I believe. Haley, Katrin and then I think she mentioned someone named Nicky. Hopefully, they're a woman because I don't trust my daughter with her judgment in guys, especially after that asshole Hayden who she dated for two years too long. She almost was married to him, for God's sake!" He gestured to Ezra, "Now if she were to date a decent man as yourself, I wouldn't have as much as an issue with it. At least you don't smell like hair gel and overly used hair gel."

Ezra opened his mouth to speak but the ringtone of his phone cut him off and he glanced at the caller ID. It was Aria. It was unlike her to be calling him so early since they usually talk either early in the morning or late at night. He looked back up at Byron, who was grinning mischievously at him, "That's your girl, isn't it?" When his younger friend just responded by biting down hard on his lip, he just shook his head and patted his friend on the shoulder, "Okay, kiddo, I'll see you tomorrow. Tell the mystery woman that I say hello."

"I will." Ezra called out and waited until the other man was out of his office and the door was shut behind him. Finally, he answered the call with a hushed tone, "Hey, Ar. What's going on?"

Her voice was rough when she replied, causing his stomach to clamp up in fear, _"I got sick earlier this morning, so I'm not going to work. There was only a meeting that wasn't mandatory and I didn't have to go in to campus for anything. I thought I would give you a call. I am bored out of my freaking mind and I can hardly move; otherwise, the motions will throw off my balance and I'll throw up again."_

Ezra leaned back in his chair, holding his iPhone to his ear, his jaw tightening with worry, "What is making you so sick? When we talked last night, you said that you've been getting migraines all week and now you're throwing up…What's going on? Is there something that you're not telling me?" When there was a long pause on the other end of the call, he practically whimpered, "Aria?"

Finally, she answered, "_I guess_ _I_ _need_ _to_ _rest_ _more_." She sighed and he heard ruffling in the background, including the flush of a toilet. She must have just gotten sick again before she called him, "_I'll just take some sleeping pills. I've been having trouble sleeping." _She giggled, allowing him to relax the tiniest bit, "_Then I could just be missing my boyfriend. How many days now?"_

He smiled slightly and he ran his fingers through his hair, "Way too many for me to handle. I miss you, too. It's just not the same without you to wake up next to every morning and to fall asleep against every night, plus everything in between that time." He pushed himself from his place on his chair behind his desk, beginning to pace around the room, clamping his cell phone tightly in his hand, "Ar, I'm worried about you. I am about to hop in my car and drive up to Boston. So, say something that will restrain me from doing that and getting my ass fired."

"_Ezra, stay in Rosewood. I have some friends up here that can take care of me while you're not here. I am going to have Katrin and Haley over later to catch up on what I missed from the meeting." _

Ezra's voice grew bitter with jealousy as he held his phone even tighter as he asked, "And Nicholas Marino? Where is he? Building you a pedestal with a chisel and a hunk of marble from the ruins of Greece?"

Aria laughed at his expense and then sighed happily, or as happy as she could, "_Aww, Ezra, has anyone ever told you that you're _really _cute when you're jealous_?" She let out another roll of laughter, _"He was here this morning to bring me coffee and walk me to the meeting_." She paused hesitantly before continuing in a rather cautious tone, "_…he left after he realized that I wasn't going to campus. Nothing happened, officer, I promise."_

He rolled his eyes, but laughed along with her, even though to him, this was no amusing and playful matter. He'd already lost Aria once to another man and he would not let anyone else come between what they had together; especially when they were already so far apart from each other, "I told you before. I don't like the fact that every chance that he has to be alone with you, he jumps on it without hesitation. What kind of motives does he have?" He creased his eyebrows, "Did you say that he was there at your apartment this morning?"

He could practically hear the eye roll in his girlfriend's voice as she responded, _"Ezra, trust me. Nicky and I are just friends. Is he a bit overly friendly at times? Yes, he is. But I rather him be that than a raging asshole who tells everyone what to do and how to do it. It's just his personality to be really friendly and outgoing with new people in his life. He's a good guy." _

"If you say so." Ezra muttered as he let out a deep breath to only bring it back in again, "So, do you need anything specific from Rosewood that I could send up at the end of the month with the rest of your mail? Maybe I can ship myself and save on airfare that way. All I need now is a lot of stamps."

She giggled and he could imagine her trying to hide the blush on her cheeks with strands of her waterfall-like brunette hair that he loved to bury his face into, "_I would love to see that, Ezra. It would surely be something to scrapbook._"She sighed, "_All I need is to drink tons of fluids and get my rest. A day on the couch with saltines and ginger ale with _The Notebook _on replay sounds like a winner to me._" They shared a laugh and he began to long to be in her company all over again.

She must have heard the alarm on his watch go off to alert him that his next class was about to start, "_Go on and do your thing in your lecture hall. Call me back when you get done. I miss hearing the sound of your voice._" She paused before whispering, _"I love you, Ezra. Please never forget that."_

"I would never forget that, Aria. I love you, too. Make sure that you get some rest and drink some Gatorade to build up some of your strength so you can be back to your normal self in no time."

She hesitated again before whispering so low that he could hardly make out her words, _"It may not be that simple…"_

Ezra's heart stopped for a moment but he shook it off so then he could respond to her statement, "What are you talking about? It's just a stomach bug, right? It'll be gone before you know it and you can back to your normal routine without migraines, the loss of sleep, and throwing up in the morning." He sighed and glanced at the time again, "I better be going. I love you."

"_I love you, too._" And then the line was disconnected and he was left listening to the dial tone.

As Ezra grabbed all of his books and notes for his lesson of the day, his mind was racing with worry for Aria. She was _extremely _out of character for herself. She seemed distant and drawn away from him. He didn't like the feeling that he getting from her. It felt as though she was afraid or embarrassed of telling him about something that was bothering her. He thought that she knew that she didn't have to be embarrassed about anything when it came to him. He would never judge her or misguide her. He would never stop loving her, no matter what it was.

If something was really wrong, she would tell him.

_Wouldn't she? _

**Sorry for such a long wait, everybody. My life has been extremely chaotic lately. Lots of stress and drama going on and I have not been able to find the time to write. Luckily, I was able to free up some time this weekend and write this and I thoroughly hoped you enjoyed Chapter 15 of If I Knew Then.**

**A lot happened in this chapter. As for this pregnancy storyline, it won't be the stereotypical Ezria pregnancy. I've been planning this since I started outlining the first story. It's going to be unique just as the rest of IKT has been with plenty of new twists and turns to break the normality that is brought with introducing a pregnancy into an Ezra and Aria story, which I have worked with before (Romance to Last a Lifetime and its sequel, Double Infinity. Note: I will not be taking the same route as I have before. It's not going to be fluffy or emotionally traumatic but a middle ground between the two.) It will lead into the sequel that now has a name. However, it cannot be revealed until Chapter 18 which is the final chapter of the first part. I am planning this entire work to be a trilogy. I hope you enjoy the journey!**

**As said before, I write for me because I love to write and I choose to share my story with all of you because I feel as though you guys enjoy it and want to see more of it. So, if you could spare two minutes of your precious time and leave some feedback for me and how you like/dislike the story, any future ideas you want to see happen, etc. All reviews and feedback will be taken in a professional manner, not personally. Thanks in advance!**

**I'll be updating Thin Skin and Barely Bone sometime this week. It finally has an outline for it. Terrified will be getting an update sometime before Halloween as well. **

**You guys are uber patient with me through everything and I appreciate all of your support and compliments as I write this and every other story. I am extremely humbled. Please stay tuned for the next chapter. Chapter 16: What I Know Now. See you then!**


	16. What I Know Now

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 16**

**What I Know Now**

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><p><em>If I knew then<em>

_What I know now_

_Whoa, if I knew then, what I know now _

_I'd fall in love_

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><p>The rhythm of a clock in a person's ear in a moment of distress and impatience could be the most spine-chilling moments they could ever experience. Just the big hand slowly crawling across the over hand as each second moves, inch by inch by inch. The sound of the small clicks in their ears, allowing them to be more aware of their heartbeat, the pounding in their head. They fight the urge to jump up and run away from whatever is haunting them. They cannot stand the taunting of the pounding of their heartbeat vibrating their ear lobes and pumping poisoned blood through their veins. They want to run and run until they can escape it. They want to rid themselves of the burden on their shoulders.<p>

_Tick tock, tick tock_

Aria wanted to escape everything and anything as she sat in that chair, the fingers on her left hand were nervously playing with the keys in the pocket of her jacket. She could hear the tick of the clock from where it sat on a near wall. Beads of sweat gathered at her hairline and threatened to drip down her forehead. The noises around her were drowned out by the clock's slowly clicking down its sphere. It filled her with the poison of terror as she swallowed deep in her throat, forcing herself to stay in that chair. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to be around or anywhere near that building. Even the thought of being within the same ten miles of it made her feel sick to the stomach. She wanted to leave and just keep driving until she hit the Pennsylvania line where Ezra's comforting arms awaited

The young woman's hand caressed her abdomen; though there was no evidence of _a baby bump, _she still thought that she felt a small rise on her pelvic bone. Was that even possible? She fought to do the math in her head of when she and Ezra had conceived the growing child inside of her. If her calculations were correct, she had to be around ten weeks into the first trimester. Could she be showing already? She wished she could pull out of her phone and look up all she needed to know about the schedule of being pregnant and what happens at what time. However, the sign on the door told her when she had arrived that it had to be off or on vibrate. So, there Aria sat despondently, tears threatening to drown her in a river of emotions. She was still processing this entire thing and she had taken the pregnancy test almost a week and a half before.

_Tick tock, tick tock_

Make it those _five _pregnancy tests. She had wanted to make sure that all of this terror wasn't for nothing and she knew that five were most definitely more accurate than just one. She remembered those five minutes of fear, tears, and though she would never admit it out loud, excitement, as though it had only been an hour before. She felt excitement as if it were a rose, trying to blossom in the spring time through the thorns and mud on the ground surrounding it. She knew that it was going to be a scary adventure and it would change everything for her, but she couldn't lie and say that she regretted her last night with Ezra when the child had been conceived. It had been one of the most passionate times in her life and she would always cherish it.

Aria couldn't help but smile. She smiled at the thought of becoming round with her-_her and Ezra's_- baby. She smiled at the thought of seeing her child on the sonogram for the first time. She smiled at the thought of picking out baby names with Ezra for a boy and a girl. She smiled at the thought of picking out their first outfit after finding out the sex of the newfound joy in her life. She smiled at the thought of sitting in that hospital bed in less than seven months, holding him or her for the first time. She smiled at the thought of getting up in the middle of the night when the baby started crying, murmuring to it and singing lullabies to get her child to sleep again, allowing her a few more hours of rest in his or hers' father's arms. She smiled at the thought of just being the mother to Ezra's children. She couldn't think of anything better.

She hadn't told Ezra about their baby. She could tell that he knew that something was off every time that they skyped and were on the phone, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him yet. She wanted it to be face to face; by that time, though, she would be almost seven months pregnant. She couldn't just get off that airplane in March with suitcases and a bloated torso. She had to tell him before then. Maybe she could take a weekend and go down to Rosewood. Or if he could drive the seven hours to get to her condo in Boston and then she could tell him after cooking baby ribs, baby corn, and baby carrots, just as she had seen on Full House. She knew that the longer that she waited to tell him, the longer it was going to be before he could ever forgive her for not telling him right away so then he could be there for her.

If he even had any desire to take on the role of a father, which was probably what scared Aria the most in this whole situation. What if the father of her child wanted nothing to do with either of them? Sure, Ezra was twenty-seven and a grown man who was financially able to take of a baby, but he was still a guy. He had the ability to just pick up and walk away so then he wouldn't have to bear the burden of taking on the responsibility of another human being. She knew that he probably wasn't the type to do that, but that didn't stop her mind from racing with all of the _'what ifs' _and all of the possibilities that could happen. She couldn't think of anything worse than having to go through the pregnancy alone and then raising their baby on her own. She wasn't going to give them up because the child was made from a night of love that they had shared before she took off for Boston. She would do what she could to be the best mother she could. She knew, though, that the only hope of doing that came with having Ezra beside her the whole time; from the time she told him to when their son or daughter walked off the stage after graduating from college. She wanted him to experience all of those big and little steps that their little youngster would take. Aria just wanted to have Ezra step up and be the father that he needed to be for next eighteen years and then for the rest of his life.

And that started with telling him as soon as she possibly could.

_Tick tock, tick tock_

Aria snuck another glance at the clock on the far side of the room. It was almost nine-thirty in the morning on a Tuesday afternoon. She had told the professor who she was a teacher's assistant for that he would need to lecture for the day and though he had not been not incredibly happy, he understood her explanation, which was 'it's a woman thing'. Plus, Nicky had offered to give him a hand with the lesson plan while Aria went to where she needed to go. She hated to take off work when the position was so important to her as well as to the two colleges that kept her from being dunked back into unemployment, but when Haley, Katrin, and Nicky told her that she needed to go as soon as she possibly could for her own health as well as for the baby's, she gave in. Plus, what professor could ever possibly say no to the help of Nicholas Emmanuelle Armanno Marino?

The day that she had realized that she was pregnant, Aria knew that she had to do the pregnancy tests to confirm it. Though her body was already telling her what she needed to know, she didn't want to waste the tine of worrying when maybe there was a small possibility that she wasn't bearing a child in her womb. Nicky, who had been with her and had been the one to point it out to her, called Haley, who lived six doors down from Aria's condo, so then she could have some female company while he went to go pick up five pregnancy tests from the drug store three blocks away directly on the university's grounds. As soon as Haley knew what was going on, she texted Katrin who came almost immediately after the meeting on campus with four boxes of saltines and three two liters of ginger ale to help subside the morning sickness. The two girls had been the ones to tell her that everything was going to be fine and that it would work out for the better. By the time that Nicky returned, Aria had already gone through a box of tissues, a tub of ice cream, a box of saltines, and half a liter of ginger ale. She hadn't known that the next eighteen years of her life would depend on a blue line within a piece of plastic.

_Or five blue lines…_

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><p><em><strong>October 11<strong>__**th**__**. A week and a half earlier…**_

_Nicky didn't even bother to knock on the door as he entered Aria's Massachusetts condo, his ungelled hair ruffled with the bone-chilling, autumn wind that swept through the copper and scarlet leaves on the oak and maple trees in Boston. His emerald green eyes immediately locked on the nauseous and pale-faced twenty three year old woman sitting on the leather living room sofa between Haley and Katrin, wrapped in Ezra's sweatshirt and a quilt. An empty box of tissues sat on the table beside the picture of her and Ezra from August along with the half-empty tub of ice cream, a stray box of saltines, and a half-filled liter of ginger ale. He sighed sympathetically and made his way over to her. She didn't even move or look up as he set the plastic baggie filled with the five pregnancy tests on the table and plopped down on the loveseat across from her. _

_He gestured to the pregnancy tests on the table with a light flick of his hand, "The woman who sold these to me said to pass on the congratulations to my partner and me." He chuckled, as if he was expecting everyone else in the room to laugh at his attempt at a joke, "Just because I am handsome and single, it doesn't mean that I'm gay. I mean, come on. I was married to the same woman for God knows how long." When no sound of recognizing his humor came from the three women on the couch, he exhaled as he continued, "Look, I know this isn't an ideal situation, but at least you have your friends beside you to help you along the way until you tell Ezra and he gets his ass here to Boston." _

_Even at the mention of his name, Aria cringed and snuggled deeper into the sofa, her knees hugged tightly to her chest. She didn't want to think about telling Ezra yet. It was far too soon and she didn't even know that she was indeed _pregnant _yet and she wouldn't be sure until she took those tests and went to the gynecologist to _really _confirm it. She would have to accept the fact that the rest of her life was about to be altered forever. So, if she had not accepted that about herself yet, how in the hell was she supposed to do that with Ezra's own feelings? She couldn't even think about the possibility of what could happen after she told him that he was going to be a father…_

_Nicky looked at Haley for some kind of translation of Aria recoiling away from him, but the young woman just shrugged and sighed, rubbing her friend's arm as if to comfort her, her light almond gray eyes filled with worry, "She's been like this since Katrin and I got here. I've never seen someone so distraught. Katrin, "She turned to the woman on Aria's other side, who immediately looked up to meet her gaze, "Should we call someone, like a doctor or the pizza delivery guy? I did skip lunch to get over here so quickly and I need some brain food to help me think more clearly."_

_Katrin suppressed a laugh and just shook her head with a slight smile pulling at the corners of her lips, "How is it that you're still thinking about food in a moment of crisis? I swear, food is the first thing that you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about when you go to sleep at night."_

"_It's not my fault that my stomach is growling and telling me, 'hey mom, fill me please. I'm starving here'. I mean, I can't exactly control it." She looked at Nicky with desperation in her eyes, "You do have the most money out of all of us here…"_

_He quirked a smile on his pink lips and he slipped his jacket back onto his back as he stood, "Way to be subtle, Haley." He glanced at his watch, "I guess I could go get some takeout from the Thai restaurant on campus." He bent down to peer Aria right in the eyes, "I'll be right back, alright?" When there was no response, he sighed and nodded in acceptance, "I guess I'll take off then." He looked at his colleagues with narrowed emerald eyes, "Maybe while I'm gone, you can persuade her to do those tests. I have a feeling that I'm not the male she wants to be with her right now." He zipped up his jacket and slipped on his gloves, "I'll be back soon."_

_Katrin stood and stretched, "I need to talk to you privately for a moment before you take off. Could I steal you away from your mission to get the food?"_

_He nodded with a smile at her, blinking his friendly olive green eyes at her, "Of course." The two left the apartment, shutting the door quietly behind them as they stepped into the outside hallway._

_During the entire conversation, Aria just kept staring at that photo of her and Ezra. Her throat was a concave of fire from all of the unshed tears in addition to the shed ones. They looked so at peace and so at home with one another, with his lips in her hair and her head on his shoulder. Looking back on everything that had happened that day, she couldn't help but regret letting her move in her with her. Sure, they hadn't had sex until the night before she left and loved each other's company with food fights, make out sessions, and cuddling together at night, but it didn't take the sting out of this situation. She felt like a failure as a woman and as a girlfriend for not taking better control of her body. She had missed her birth control pills more than three times before they had sex that August night. _

_She would never regret their last night together, but if she had only taken those birth control pills and if she had a condom or two in her purse for Ezra to use, she wouldn't be thinking about the grand chance that she was pregnant at that very moment. She would have been able to finish up her six months at Boston and then head back down to Rosewood where Ezra's comforting arms longed for her return. They would have been able to spend more time together without the distraction of pregnancy hormones, doctor appointments, and a newborn baby keeping them awake at night. They would have been able to get married because they _wanted _to, not because they _had _to after their child was born. They would have been able to wait to have a baby instead of having one when she was over three hundred miles away from him. She wanted all of that for them, but now it was ruined. Her life was going to be tied to another human being's for the rest of her existence. Ezra was going to have to step up and be a dad when he was at a great place in his life and career. They were going to have to give up a lot to make sure that they were the fittest parents for this child. _

_Katrin stepped back into the room, closing the door tightly behind her. She made her way back over to Aria and Haley, plopping down onto her former place on the leather sofa, "Nicky told me that his wife's gynecologist still has her practice in Concord. It's only about nineteen miles away from Boston. Thirty four minute drive, at the very least." She sighed and turned to Aria, rubbing her leg to comfort her, "Ar, you really need to take those tests. We'll never know for sure until you take them and go see a doctor. This could all be for nothing." She paused and then continued after a couple of moments, "If you're worried about Ezra and how he'll react, don't be. I want you to be focused on yourself and…the baby right now. If there is even a baby to be focused on. You can worry about Ezra's reaction later. He'll probably be fine with the whole thing. He loves you and he'll love the child." _

_Haley nodded in agreement, "Katrin is right, Aria. It's not good to be stressing yourself out like this. Take the tests and we'll go from there. And it's not like you're fifteen and knocked up, right? You and Ezra are both consenting adults with great jobs and a good support system behind you. You're twenty-three, he's twenty-seven. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to find out that you're having his baby. A little mini Fitz is forming in you right now. He loves you and I'm sure he'll love this child just as much. You two are going to be fine."_

_She finally spoke, her voice cracked and rough-edged from all of the crying and the lack of talking she'd been doing for the past few hours, "How can you two predict that? Ezra is finally has his life on track and so do I. This will only throw everything off for him. Plus, his brother hates me more than anyone has ever hated another human being and this will only add fuel to that fire. I'm surprised he hasn't called me up yet to tell me what a dirty, filthy slut I am for destroying his brother's life. He's already tried to set up Ezra with one of his old family friends. How am I supposed to deal with that?" _

"_Is that what you're really worried about right now? Ezra's brother shouldn't be your priority right now. It should be what is best for _you _and for your baby. You can worry about everything else later." Katrin gently replied, rubbing her friend's shoulder as if it were a gesture of comfort._

_She stared wild eyed at her Swedish friend, tears forming her hazel eyes again, threatening to stream down her red-patched yet still very pale cheeks, "How can I not worry about how his family is going to react? How can I not worry about _he _will react? He's the father of a child and he doesn't even know about it yet. I don't know how to even begin to think about he is going to react. What if he doesn't want to help me? What if he doesn't want to be a daddy at all? I mean, we've talked about it, but we are so far apart right now and I can't even begin to comprehend how to take the time down to Rosewood and tell him in person. We're over three hundred miles apart. I can't afford the plane ticket to get down here and I highly doubt he can either. He isn't going to ask his family to help him get up here to see me. And the longer I wait to tell him, the madder he is going to be at me. It's a losing situation either way. I am going to lose him and I will be forced to raise this baby on my own. What am I supposed to do?"_

_Haley sighed and handed the bag with the pregnancy tests in it to Aria, who took it with shaking hands as though she was still in shock about the whole situation, "You're going to stop overreacting and you're going to go into the bathroom, take all five of these tests and if they're negative, we'll all forget that this ever happened. You won't have to tell Ezra anything and you can finish up your job here in Boston and go back to Rosewood in March."_

_She blinked and took a deep breath as she finally made eye contact with her friend, "And if they're positive? What then?"_

_Expecting the question, Haley answered it with a slight smile, "We're going to get you an appointment at the gynecologist's office in Concord. At almost nine weeks, you probably could get a sonogram to see the baby. We can all pitch in to buy you a plane ticket so then you can get to Ezra by Thanksgiving so then you can see him and tell him in person. You two can figure this all out and I highly doubt that he would leave you to deal with this alone. He doesn't seem like the type of guy to do that. He seems like a decent guy. He'll probably ask for a leave from work and come up here to live with you so then he can be here with you during your pregnancy. I'm sure he'll be there holding your hand the entire time. You're stressing yourself too much about this." She paused before continuing, her grin widening, "Just think about it, Aria. You're pregnant with Ezra's baby. You love him more than anything else in the world and I know by the way that you listen to every voicemail he leaves you every day and every night that he is head over heels for you. He's going to be head over heels for your guys' baby, too. This is a link between you two for the rest of your lives."_

_The twenty-three year old woman finally cracked a smile at the thought of Ezra with a baby. She had to admit to herself that it was a great thought. If she was going to have anyone's baby, she was glad it was Ezra Fitz's. She couldn't imagine bearing this gift of life with anyone else. Hopefully, they would have those same warm blue eyes and curly dark brown hair that she loved to twine her fingers into. With that sweet and shy yet flirtatious smile and a bubbly personality, their baby would be the most beautiful child on the planet. She ran her hand across her abdomen, wondering if it was a boy or a girl. A small part of her wanted a boy so then she could have a mini Ezra in life just in case…just in case that Ezra didn't want to step up and be Daddy Fitz. Then she could someone who at least reminded her of his warm and sweet presence. _

_She at last nodded in response to Haley, sitting up straight, "You're right. I have to stop all of this worry and find out once and for all." Suddenly, Aria clenched her stomach as she felt another wave of nausea hit her. She felt it burn her throat and she rushed into the bathroom, dropping the baggie from the drug store, retching into the toilet. The smell of the spoiled ice cream and saltines made it even worse as she sat there on her knees, her eyes clenched shut in pain._

_After about three minutes of expelling the food from her stomach, she collapsed against the bathtub, sweat and tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked up to see Haley and Katrin at the doorway, their eyes wide with worry and terror. They stepped into the room after a few moments. Katrin clasped the bag of pregnancy tests in her hands, knowing that Aria would want to take them. She pushed herself to her feet with the help of her friends, "I'm taking them right now. I can't take this anymore."_

_Once she regained enough strength and her two friends left the bathroom to leave her in her privacy, Aria followed the instructions on the boxes of the pregnancy tests. She set each finished one in the sink, side by side after washing her hands. She looked into the mirror. Although there was no makeup upon her cheeks or eyes and was replaced with dried sweat and tears, there seemed to be a glow to her. There was a sort of _shine _in her red patchy cheeks. Her hazel eyes were twinkling with an indescribable emotion that she couldn't even begin to describe in word. She wondered if every new mother felt like this. There were butterflies in her stomach and terror in every drop of her blood, but she could not deny that she didn't feel some form of excitement. _

_She recognized it as a motherly glow that she remembered seeing on one of her classmates when she was still in high school. Although she had only been seventeen with her life ahead of her and college in less than a year, the girl had had the same radiance in her cheeks, walking down the hallways while holding the hand of the father of her baby, who had the will power to stick around to help raise the baby. From what Aria heard, the two got help from their families and were able to keep the baby once it was born. They both went off to college and were now married with their six year old son, living in an apartment in Philly while the father worked as an insurance agent and the mother worked as a journalist at home. They were able to make it as seventeen year olds through the rest of high school and then through college with a baby. So, Aria and Ezra should be able to do it, right? They were at a much better place than her counterparts had once been and they did well for themselves with what limited resources had been given to the two teenagers. There was no difference between the two situations. _

_Apart from the three hundred and forty three miles that sat between her and Ezra._

_Aria curled up on the couch, drawing her knees to her chest, her eyes much clearer than they had been just ten minutes before. She looked up with a shaky smile at her friends, "I have to wait five minutes. Who knew that the rest of my and Ezra's lives are dependent on a piece of plastic that I just urinated on?" She giggled for the first time in hours as she took a couple of deep breaths in anticipation, tucking a couple loose locks of her hair back into place behind her hair. An ache filled her heart as she realized that if he had been there, Ezra would have done that. He would have taken her in his arms, pecking at the skin in her neck, his fingers tugging at the waistband of her jeans. He would have been whispering romantic quotes by Hawthorne and Emerson, reciting lines from Shakespeare and Whitman. He would have been laughing in her ear as they ignored the old movie on their apartment's television, their lips moving in sync with one another's, the passion taking over…_

"_Aria…Aria, hey, are you alright over there? You look a bit overwhelmed." Haley poked her side, trying to get her out her daze. _

"_I wish I could lie and say that I'm not scared to death right now. I mean, I am somewhat excited but it doesn't numb the fact that I could be taking care of another human being in less than a year." She glanced down at her stomach, her hand running across the flat surface, wondering if there was a mini her or a mini Ezra in there, growing each passing moment, "Is this a normal feeling for a first time expecting mother?"_

_Haley laughed and shrugged, "I suppose so." She stretched and met Aria's almost identical hazel gaze, "So, if they turn out all positive, what do you plan on doing?"_

_The twenty-three old woman didn't reply right away, wiping her eyes and sniffling as if she was suppressing more tears. Katrin put a hand on her shoulder to calm her friend's rising blood temperature, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's not stress her out right now. She has enough on her mind. We don't need to get her worked up like how she was less than forty-five minutes ago when Nicky got here." She peered up at the clock and shook her head in amusement, "Speaking of that smooth talking, panty-dropping Italian, where is he? He must have run into the lunch rush at the Thai restaurant. It's that or he got distracted by something shiny. It's not that hard to get dumplings and noodles, now is it?" The three of them laughed together and the twenty-nine year old sighed, rubbing her hands on her jeans as if she was as anxious as Aria was, "How long has it been since you took the tests?"_

_Aria glanced at the timer on her phone, suppressing a whimper as she realized only two minutes had passed since she took them, "This has to be the longest I have ever waited for anything in my life. These five minutes feel like a century." She pushed herself up to her feet and began to pace back and forth in front of her two friends who watched her with narrowed eyes filled with worry, "This is just hard. It's like a storm cloud is hanging over my head right now, ready to hit me with a bolt of lightning."_

_The clock on the wall taunted her as two minutes slowly crawled to three and with another couple of minutes that felt like two centuries, the timer went off at five minutes, blaring from its place on the kitchen counter. As soon as the beeping began to echo throughout the apartment, Aria charged into the bathroom, practically leaving a trail of skid marks and flames behind her. She flipped on the light and looked over her shoulder at her two friends who were right there. She stood between them, holding their hands to her steady. Slowly, she peered over the sink's edge, looking for the symbol that she was dreading and the symbol that a small part of her was hoping for. _

_Her heart stopped beating. Tears sprung up in her eyes and one of them rolled down her cheeks, threatening to overwhelm her. She felt as though her world was crashing down on top of her, onto her shoulders, a burden, a barrier, a distraction. The feeling of terror in her blood stream that was being pumped by her hummingbird beating heart returned with a vengeance, causing her to collapse against the bathroom wall, sliding down to a crouched position, her hazel eyes wide and blinking in shock as the news hit her as if she had been on railroad tracks, standing in front of an incoming train. _

_There in the sink were five pregnancy tests. There in the sink were five pieces of plastic that was giving the answer that she'd been waiting for since seven that morning. There in the sink were five blue plus signs. According to the box, blue plus signs meant that the woman taking them were expecting._

_All five were positives…_

* * *

><p>Someone shook Aria's shoulder with a light feminine grasp and she jerked from the flashback in her narrowed hazel eyes. She blinked and looked up at a woman in the blue nurse's outfit who met her gaze with the warmth of a smile. That's when she remembered where she was. Nicky had called and gotten her an appointment as his wife's gynecologist from when she had been pregnant with their son as soon as he returned with the Thai takeout and learned that Aria was for sure pregnant. Once the appointment was made, a sense of peace had washed over her and her friends made sure that she had something to eat and ginger ale beside her as she went to bed at four in the afternoon, exhausted from all of the news.<p>

Haley had gone with her to the appointment for moral support and a shoulder to lean on, making sure that she didn't have to go to Concord with no one beside her, but Katrin and Nicky were not able to do the same because they had scheduled classes for that day and couldn't take the time off. Aria was just glad to have one of her friends there for support. Even though it was a thorn in her throat when she walked in and saw many husbands, boyfriends, and expectant fathers in there with their pregnant wives. She realized that her first appointment should be shared with the father of her baby and she regretted not immediately calling Ezra and telling him the news. She wasn't ready to bear this burden alone. She needed him beside her for every part of this new chapter in both of their lives. The baby was half of him. He deserved to know what was going on.

However, Aria knew that it wouldn't be something to tell him over a crappy connection on Skype or a two bar conversation over the phone. She couldn't send him a text on iMessage saying that she was knocked up with his baby and that she needed him to get up to Boston. This was something that could only be exchanged in the flesh, face to face. She kept one of the pregnancy tests to help her tell him about their baby, hopefully making it easier to come out and say the two words: _I'm pregnant._

The nurse's words didn't each her ears until she finally escaped the quicksand of her thoughts, "Aria Montgomery? Sweetheart, it's time. The doctor is ready for you."

Aria nodded and took a deep breath. After an encouraging squeeze of the hand and warm blink of the eyes from Haley sitting beside her, she carefully and slowly rose to her feet, following the nurse through the swinging gate to the checkup room that awaited her. She glanced behind her shoulder at the clock that almost seemed to be smiling at her. Her heart clicked with each movement of the long arm of the sphere. It kept ticking and ticking and ticking, taunting her and teasing her, as if it was reminding her that her life was now run by time. Like waiting for those tests. Like waiting for the nurse to call her name.

_Like waiting for the right time to tell Ezra that he was going to be a father._

_Tick tock, tick tock._

* * *

><p>Going trick or treating is like a rite of passage for children across the United States to celebrate the dentist's favorite holiday of Halloween. Ezra never really got into it. He didn't really like the idea of celebrating the dead unless he was expressing grief at the funeral of a beloved family member or a good friend. Halloween was his least favorite holiday. He hated the glamorization of it and he didn't even consider it a holiday. He liked the candy and the scary stories, but he couldn't stand the idea of running around as a child dressed as a ghost, witch, or the devil. It disturbed him down to his very being and the only good part of it was that it only wasn't even a month before Thanksgiving. And this year that meant it wasn't even a month before he would be heading to Boston.<p>

Heading to Boston to see Aria, the woman who he loved and missed more than anyone else, the woman who he craved every night he went to sleep and every morning he woke up, the woman who he wanted to marry and spend the rest of his life with. Boston was just a speed bump in their lives together. The three hundred and forty-three miles were just a reminder of the distance they had yet to leap. The six hours and forty minute drive was just a number on the clock that seemed to taunt them both as it ticked slowly by through the motions and through the life they had to live without one another while they were so far apart.

Much to his brother's protests, Natalie told Ezra to take Emma trick or treating Halloween night, wanting them to spend some time together. Though Ezra loved Emma and wanted to spend more quality time with her since she wouldn't always be that little, he knew that it was rattling Kenneth's cage by taking his three year old daughter on a traditional father-daughter tradition. It was as if Natalie wanted this fight to endure for the rest of their lives. He wasn't looking forward to returning his niece with a bag full of candy to her parents and a olive green glare burning him in place. The elder Fitz sibling gave in after much begging and pleading from young Emma and his wife. There was a catch though. Laura Martinez, Ezra's childhood friend, had to tag along for the adventure. Kenneth still thought that there was a chance that his little brother would change his mind about Aria and would give up on waiting for her.

So, putting the two adults who can clearly think for themselves on babysitting duty was supposed to help them fall in love. That made perfect sense.

Ezra knocked on the front door of his older brother's small two story house in a suburb of Philly, adjusting his jacket. It was a rather warm night on October 31st and there were kids running around the large neighborhood already, ready to get a bag of future cavities. He didn't wear anything more than a bandana on his head and pair of cheap sunglasses as if he were going as a biker when really, he was just trying ro protect his eyes against the glaring autumn sun.

He wondered where Aria was that night. If she had been in town, they would probably be at home handing out candy. She would be in a sexy costume and he would be watching her, trying not to be turned on. They would have cuddle together and watched old movies, wrapped up in one another's company with the leftover candy and hot chocolate. He would have comforted her when she got scared. She would have climbed into their apartment's bedroom bed and after a passionate kiss or two, would have fallen asleep in one another's arms. It would have been the most perfect and romantic night. However, life isn't always romantic. Sometimes it's realistic and doesn't work out the way that a person wants them to…

Aria had said when she was still there that she would go as Daisy Buchanan from the Great Gatsby while he was Jay Gatsby. After all their storyline was very much the same to the one written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. When the two met in November almost a year before, Aria had been with a malicious and two faced bully, just as Tom Buchanan had been. Ezra had waited and waited for her. Though their story was a lot less tragic than the novel's, the similarities were hard to ignore.

When he called her earlier, she had said that she was going to just be at the condo grading papers with her new friends Haley and Katrin. They were going to hand out candy to the kids who lived in the town and would just have a normal girls' night before she sent them home so then she could be alone and finish whatever work that she needed to do before checking in for the night. The best part: Nicholas Marino, the flirtatious bastard, would be at a charity gathering in Vermont for the entire weekend and would be away from Boston and more importantly, he would be away from Aria. Though he trusted his girlfriend, Ezra did not trust the smooth talking and green eyed Italian who had money and success throughout the country. He wasn't going to take a risk of having the piece of shit hurt Aria and he would willingly go to jail after killing the professor. He despised him for trying to take his place while he and Aria were so far apart.

The front door of the small home opened and two tiny arms wrapped around his legs, "Uncle Ezra!" Emma had grown at least two inches since her uncle had seen her. Her curly brown hair was braided and brushing against her tiny shoulders. She still pronounced her r's like w's but it was much less noticeable than this time the previous year. He hadn't known how much he missed her until he saw her little face break out in a wide smile as soon as she saw him, "I missed you!"

He crouched down to her height, squatting on his knees, playing with a lock of her braided hair. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead affectionately, "I missed you, too, kiddo."

"Then come around more often and you won't have to miss me!" She said jokingly, batting her fingers at his nose, squeezing the tip to where he had a squeaky voice. Her innocent giggle rang throughout the house, her eyes bright with warmth and joy.

He laughed, knowing that she heard that from her mother and picked up the small child, spinning her around to where they were in the house. He shut the door behind him with his foot and they continued spinning into the home's living room, hugging the child tightly to his chest, "God, I don't see you often enough. You're always a foot taller every time I see you! And you're so pretty too. Did your mommy do those braids for you?"

The three year old nodded enthusiastically, "Yup! She braided my hair for my princess costume. But I told her that I wasn't going to put it on until after my favorite uncle got here. And look! You're here!"

"I'm your favorite uncle? You tend to forget, Ems, that I am your _only _uncle." He chuckled as he balanced the toddler on his hip, making a goofy face at her to make her laugh. And it did.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly before pressing a fat kiss on his cheek, giggling madly, "I'm just glad that you're here! I never get to see you because you're always busy and every time Mommy says your name, I just get really sad and happy at the same time."

"I'm here, sweetheart. And we'll be spending plenty of time together tonight. So, you won't be getting rid of me that easily." He glanced at the clock to check the time and looked back at his niece with a smile, "Why don't you go and put that costume of yours on? I'll be here when you get back."

Sadness crossed the child's face and she protested, "But I don't want to come back and you not be here." She began to sniffle and she burrowed her head into the crevice of her uncle's shoulder.

His heart melted at her words and he murmured, "Emma, look at me." She slowly picked up her head and he kissed her forehead, his grasp tightening around her as he found a place to sit on the couch, placing the little girl on his lap, keeping her hugged tightly to his body, "I promise I'll be here when you get back, kiddo. I just need to speak to your mommy for a moment." The three year old nodded, her eyes narrowed as if she still didn't want to go, "Uncle Ezra always keeps his promises, now doesn't he?" He gave her puppy dog eyes, his blue eyes twinkling with love and warmth.

Emma fought hard not to smile, but eventually gave in and gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose, "You're so weird. But I love you anyway."

"I love you, too, sweetheart." He grinned at his niece before pressing a kiss to her cheek, knowing that he would give anything to make this little girl happy. After all, he helped raise her after she was born and before he got his job at the newspaper in Hamilton, Ohio. He was a fresh student out of college when she was born and for the first six months of her life, he offered free babysitting to Kenneth and Natalie when they had to go to work. He loved that little girl as if she was his own daughter.

She stopped speaking again, her eyes narrowed with concentration and a twinkle of mischief as she twined her tiny arms back around her neck in a gesture of affection. He hugged her tightly back, wondering if this is how moments with his own children would be in the future. Emma whispered into his ear, "I know Aria loves you, too. Have you gone to see her yet?" She leaned back to ruffle his hair, giving him an encouraging grin with her baby teeth shining at him. He noticed one of the top ones was gone. He had to wonder when she lost it. He hadn't seen her since his birthday back in September.

Ezra hesitated before shaking his head, causing Emma's bottom lip to come up over her top one in a pout, "I am going to see her soon, though. I wish you could have met her before she left. She is pretty awesome, just like you. You would have loved coloring with her and watching _Finding Nemo _with her. She loves kids. She was a teacher for a while for little kids just like you. But now she's teaching the big _big _kids." He bit his bottom lip and his niece watched as it trembled the tiniest bit. She hugged him again as if to comfort him, "I just miss her kiddo."

"Is she like your Cinderella? And you're her Prince Charming?" Emma looked up with those wide light baby blue eyes, a pool of warmth and innocence that made him feel fuzzy on the inside, with the fingers on her left hand making circles on the fabric of his shirt that covered his right shoulder.

The corners of his lips pulled up in the tiniest hint of a smirk at her comment and he nodded, "She's definitely my Cinderella and I would go to the ends of the Earth to give her that glass slipper. She's my everything and I can't wait until I get to see her again." He took a deep breath and then let it out again, "We need to get a move on before all the candy on this block is gone. Go and get dressed. I'll be here when you come out, princess."

"Okay, I'll leave and go put on my costume." She thought of the costume for a moment and then began to ramble off about it; the color, the sparkles, the way it moved when she did and he couldn't help but laugh at something so innocent and so adorable of his three year old niece so excited over a costume. She paused and drummed her fingers against his arm enthusiastically, "I bet Aria has a princess costume, too, because she's your princess. Besides me of course." She winked at him and began to laugh, an innocent sound that rang in his ears.

His grin widened and he ducked his head as his cheeks darkened at the truth to the comment. Aria was his princess and he planned on treating her like royalty for the rest of his life. She was his flower in a heap of thorns and his diamond underneath the coals. He would do anything and everything for her. He would be anything and everything for her. He was her protector, her lover, her confidant, her boyfriend, _her soulmate. _And if that meant spending all of his money on a ring that would make a tan where her fourth finger meets her knuckle, he would do that. He wanted to make her feel loved. Love isn't a feeling, but it's a commitment. He was very committed to her. He would never do anything to hurt her. She was his everything and he would do anything in his power to keep interferences such as a job, distance, time, or an Italian with a big house and lots of his daddy's money in his pocket stepping in and ruining that. Nothing could make him stop loving her the way that he did. It was like a fire that was keeping an eternal vigil in his heart. It would burn even long after his time on Earth was over.

He finally responded to the three year old, "Of course, sweetheart. You and Aria are both my princesses. Now, go get ready. We should leave in a couple minutes."

She rolled her eyes in exasperation before shaking her head at her uncle with a mischievous smile on her young face, "You're so silly. I'm going to need at least a half an hour to get my hair and makeup done." She patted his head as if she pitied him for his cluelessness, "I am a young woman after all."

"My life seems to be waiting on women. I ought to take lessons from Brad Paisley in that department." Ezra chuckled and kissed his niece's soft chestnut brown braided hair before setting her down on the carpeted floor, giving her a gentle tap on the bottom and he smiled as he watched her run off to her bedroom, the socks on her small feet sliding on the wood floor of the kitchen as she turned the corner and he heard the door shut loudly behind her as the little girl got ready for trick-or-treating with him and Laura. He hoped and prayed that one day he would have a beautiful baby girl who had Emma's personality.

After the conversation he just had with his brother's daughter, the familiar longing for Aria began to cause the usual ache in his heart; a curse he had come to know while he embraced it with open arms. She would have loved this; going trick or treating with him and seeing him interact with a young human being instead of the adults. She would have loved spending time with this bundle of joy that was Emma. She was the type of woman who was so great with kids. After all, she had been an elementary school teacher for a short time; she obviously had a heart for them. She was going to be a great mother one day; gentle, tender, and caring with a feisty sense of compassion and humor. He knew that one day that they would get married and start a family, but it was hard to even think about or impossible to put into his range of perspective with the entire situation that encircled their relationship. He would be honored to father Aria's children in the future, but thinking about it was out of his realm of reality.

Natalie was pouring candy into a bowl when he stepped into the kitchen. She looked up at him with a smile, "Hey there, Ez. Thanks for taking her out tonight. I appreciate it. And I know that she does to." She paused and sighed, brushing a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear, "I don't know how long you and Kenneth plan on dragging out this fight of yours, but for Emma, I suggest you wrap it up soon. You guys have been like this since the beginning of August. Emma misses you and I know he'll never admit it, but Kenny does to. He misses his little brother."

He snorted and took a seat on one of the counter stools, folding his hands underneath his arms, "He has a funny way of showing it, by knocking down my girlfriend every chance that he gets. He thinks that he is looking out for me, but he is really just getting me pissed off at him." Ezra looked around, his smoldering dark blue eyes narrowed, "Speaking of which, where is he? I thought he was here to conduct the ceremony that he is planning or me and Laura." He rolled his eyes and clenched his jaw, "Does he really think that I am going to forget about Aria that easily? Does he take me for some kind of idiot?"

"He's putting on his costume for the party at the hospital for all the little kids who are too sick to go out trick or treating,"

He began to clap sarcastically, "He's such a saint. I should be more like my older brother. He is remarkable. Someone should give him a plaque for being such a contributor for society. He deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, right up there with Martin Luther King Jr. and President Obama. Can I write his acceptance speech for him?"

Natalie laughed darkly and stood in front of him, her arms having her lean against the counter, "I get that you Fitz boys are stubborn and are always trying to one up each other, but honestly, to outsiders looking in, you two look like bickering chickens. Kenny tried that thing with Laura because he thought he could get you distracted from missing Aria. He thought that you could use a friend while she's gone for six months doing her thing at Boston."

"I never thought about it like that…" The young man mumbled grudgingly. He didn't want to admit that he was part of the wrong in this situation.

She smiled sadly at him, her blue eyes blinking at him, reminding him that even though Kenneth had passed on his stubbornness and persistent personality to Emma, Natalie had given their daughter those baby blue eyes that someone couldn't help but be hypnotized in, "He knows you miss her. He puts up a good front, but I know he wants you to be happy and he knows that you are at your happiest when you're with her. That's why it was _his _idea to give you those plane tickets for your birthday. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't believe what you and Aria have is real. Kenneth is a firm believer in where the heart belongs and he knows that your belongs to this woman who stopped you at first glance last November when you saw her on that dirty bus in Cincinnati."

A trail of footsteps sounded in the kitchen as Kenneth, dressed in his Halloween costume of Batman, looking rather ridiculous, stepped into the room before Ezra could respond to Natalie's statement. He greeted his wife with a kiss on top of her head where grabbing piece of candy from the bowl. He looked at his younger brother with a smile, "Ezra, I'm sorry. I have been an ass to you and to Aria. I overreacted when I kicked you out in August. I didn't realize how much Aria meant to you until you defended her on your birthday by walking away and preventing a big commotion at _The Brew_. Like Nat said though," He glanced at the woman he called his wife, placing his hand on top of hers affectionately, "We're both thick headed and stubborn. We don't know where to draw the line and where to stop before going over it. We're brothers and we should at least _act _like we love each other, right?"

When Ezra didn't speak for a few moments, his older brother sighed and ran his hand through the curls of his brown hair as he took the Batman mask off from over his face, "I hope you're able to forgive me for all I said about Aria in the past. I wish I could take it back and I would if I could, but since I can't, I'd like to make it right with her when she comes home." He opened one of the kitchen drawers and took out a mailing envelope with his name scrawled on the face of it, sliding it over to him, "Those tickets I bought you were for Thanksgiving, but these here are boarding passes for any time of the year for next four months so you can go up and see her any time you want during the weekend. First class, too. Think of this as a peace offering between the two of us. An apology from me to you. You don't have to forgive me if you don't want to, but you did, it would make me feel like less of an ass right now. I really am sorry and I-"

He didn't have the chance to finish his apology as Ezra stood from his place on the stool, went around the counter and wrapped his older brother in a hug, his arms tight across his back. His anger and bitterness fell away immediately as he felt the return of the embrace, his brother's arms looping around him and his hands patting his back in a 'man hug'. He pulled away after a couple of moments and chuckled, his eyes beginning to tear up. He rubbed them free immediately, "Thanks for this, Kenny. I appreciate it and I know…I know Aria will, too."

Kenneth grinned at him and jerked his head toward Emma's bedroom, "It was Emma's idea. After we came home on your birthday, she told me, 'Daddy, Uncle Ezra needs to see Aria more. You need to give him more planes to fly in'. And how can you say no to that? I also pulled some strings with Walter James for you. I may have lied why you won't be back for work for all of November."

Ezra's eyes widened, "What did you tell him that would let him let me off for four weeks?"

"Turns out, he is a strong believer in love and that you should be reunited with the girl who has you tied around her finger. He is also going to be giving you a-"

"A five hundred dollar bonus for 'all my hard work' that will help me buy her an engagement ring?" He grinned and ran both of his hands through the curly mess that was his hair. He was going to spend a whole month with the love of his life. Everything was falling into place for him to take the next step with Aria. He was going to propose to her on their anniversary. They didn't have to get married right away but he had to get that ring on her finger. He was determined to spend the rest of his life with her.

When he went up to Boston and surprises her, they would be able to reconnect and spend time together that isn't through a crappy Skype connection or a phone call with a sketchy signal or flirty text messages during the day. They would be able to hold hands and they would also be to kiss without it being through a screen. They would be able to touch and be vulnerable with one another. They would be able to feel the fireworks and the sparks and everything that made them as passionate and loving as they were; they would be able to _them _again and that's something that he wanted more than anything else in the world.

He shrugged and grinned mischievously over at Natalie, "You would have done the same for me if I was in the same boat with Nat." He gave his wife's hand a loving squeeze and then kissed her cheek, "As soon as you get back with Emma tonight, you're going to the airport. I have a suitcase full of clothes already cleared for you. All you have to do is go through security and get on that United States Airways plane by midnight. You'll be in Boston by two in the morning and by the time you get your bag, find your car, and get to her condo, it'll be about three. I've thought all of this through, bro. Trust me, it's all taken care of." He nodded to the envelope as he continued, "There is a key in there to pick up your rental car from the airport. It's nothing fancy; just a Dodge Avenger." He cracked a smile, "Only twenty bucks a day so I thought it was a pretty good deal." He gave a sigh of relief, "I didn't know how long I could keep that a secret, but I am sure it was even harder for Emma. She's been trying not to spill the beans every time that you speak to her on the phone."

"Emma knew? Wow, you trusted a three year old with a secret like that and she didn't say anything at all to me." Ezra wiped his eyes and tried not to scream in happiness, "I don't know I could repay you guys for this. This is honestly the best gift that anyone could ever give me."

Natalie gave her brother-in-law a warm grin, "It's the least we could do for you, Ezra. Love is powerful and yours and Ari's story is one for the books. Plus," She rubbed her husband's arm, giving his shoulder a kiss, "Ken wanted to apoligze in a big way. We're a family and families bicker and have arguments and kick each other out of apartments, but at the end of the day, blood is thicker than water." She glanced at the time on the clock and shook her head in amusement, "You and Emma better be going. Laura will be here any minute." She headed down the hall to Emma's bedroom and gave a tiny knock on the door, calling out softly to her three year old daughter, "Ems, are you ready yet?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. You can't rush perfection, Mommy!" The little girl paused before shouting out, "Is Uncle Ezra still here?"

The three adults laughed and Ezra answered his niece with warmth and affection in his tone, "I'm here, just as I promised. Hurry up, kiddo. We need to get moving."

"Let me finish, Uncle Ezra!"

Natalie rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder at the two men who were still in the kitchen, "I'll help her. It'll only take about five minutes." She snuck through the crack between the door and its frame, closing it tightly behind her so then she could help her daughter finish getting ready for trick or treating.

Ezra looked after her with longing his eyes, wanting this in the future with Aria and their own children, "You're a lucky guy, Ken. They're both amazing."

Kenneth sighed, running his hands through his hair, his lips pulling up at the corners, "She is too much like her mother. I have to wait on both of them to get ready these days. Five minutes often turn into thirty and we're almost always late for any sanctioned event. They're my life though and I would wait all day for them." He looked at Ezra up and down, "Are you thinking about starting a family with Aria one day or are you going to get fixed and never have kids? I mean, I said the same thing when Natalie and I got married. I told her that I was never going to be a father and that I was never going to even try having a baby. But four years ago, when she told me that the pregnancy test was positive, I couldn't imagine my life any differently."

His little brother shrugged, "We've talked about it and everything for when we're ready to have a baby, but my biggest fear is screwing the kid up, you know? I don't want to end up like Dad and what he did."

"That was my fear before Emma was born. I always thought that I would end up like him, but I have proven that I'm not. Look at me and Nat. We've been married for ten years and have been parents for almost four. Listen to me, Ez. We're not our father. That jackass missed out on being a husband, being a father, and now, he's missed out on being a grandfather because he was scared of facing responsibility after the divorce. The most fatherly thing he ever did when we were kids was making sure that he stayed out of our lives. We're better off without him. Besides, I'm sure he's enjoying himself where he is. Last time he sent me a card, the return address said that he was in Milwaukee."

"Do you think you'd ever want to find him?" Ezra asked hesitantly, knowing how sensitive his older brother was about the situation with their father.

He immediately shook his head, his olive green eyes hard with anger, "I would be afraid what I would do to him for missing out not only our lives, but on getting to know his granddaughter. I sent him pictures and birthday invites so then we could make amends, but he's never responded. He's never shown up. Who in the hell needs him? I don't. Not anymore. I needed him to help me to learn how to shave, to learn how to drive, to learn how to be a man. He was never there because he's a coward and I have gone out of my way to make sure that I never end up like a deadbeat like him." He stopped his rant, his face an angry red and patted Ezra's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Ez. I really am. But you're not going to end up like him. When your time comes to being a daddy to Ezra Junior or to a little angel like Emma, you're going to prove yourself to yourself. You don't need to worry about that."

Before the youngest Fitz sibling could respond, Natalie stepped out of Emma's bedroom and closed the door behind her. She ducked her head around the corner of the wall, "Are you all ready to see her?" The two men turned around and nodded, standing from their places at the kitchen counter on their stools. Kenneth took out a toy trumpet, beginning to blow it. Natalie announced, "Gentlemen, I present Princess Emma Fitz of Philadelphia." She opened the bedroom door and waited for the three old to make her grand entrance.

Emma stepped out of her bedroom, revealing her Halloween costume. It was a flowing blue dress with a corset beneath it, covered in glitter and sparkles. She wore two flat glass slippers on her tiny feet, covered by the bottom of her dress. Her braid traveled down her back, a white crown with pearls on her head, with the tiniest hint of blue eye shadow on her eyelids, bringing out the shade of the sparkling indigo. She held a wand and a purse. She made her way into the kitchen, her smile radiant against the faint blush on her cheeks. She was easily the best dressed on that Hallows eve and Ezra couldn't help but grin widely at the thought of maybe one day buying his own daughter a princess costume, documenting the entire evening. He didn't like Halloween, but he would love to celebrate it with Aria and their children one day just to see the smiles on their faces.

Kenneth broke out into a smile, setting the trumpet on the counter as he went over to pick up his daughter. He went to kiss her cheek, but the three year old stopped him, pressing her small hand against his mouth, "Batman, please put me down before you mess up my hair."

Her father nodded and laughed as he set her down on the ground so then she could make her way over to her uncle, who was waiting to take her hand to escort her to trick-or-treating in the Philly suburb neighborhood. He crouched down to her height and tucked a lock of her loose hair behind her ear, "You ready to go, Princess Emma?"

She nodded and grabbed her white pillowcase from the counter. She spotted the envelope and she spun around to look wild eyed at her parents, "Mommy! Daddy! You gave him the envelope!" She looked at Ezra with a widening smile, handing the envelope to him, jumping up and down excitedly, her glass slippers making tapping noises on the wooden kitchen floor, "Now you can see your other princess! Your Princess Aria!" She wrapped her arms around his legs, looking up at him with happiness glittering in those baby blue eyes of hers, "Now you can be happy! Uncle Ezra can finally be happy!"

Ezra picked his niece up into his arms, hugging her tightly, "You're right, princess. I can finally be happy." He locked eyes with his brother across the room with his lips pulling up at the corners, "I am going to see my other little princess and be happy. And that's all thanks to you three." He kissed her cheek, careful not to mess up her makeup, "Thank you, Emma. Thank you for making the happiest Prince Charming in the world."

She giggled and ruffled the curls in his hair, "You're welcome, Uncle Ezra. I love you." She strung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I love you, too." He set her down after giving her one last squeeze and took her hand in his hand, "Let's go get some candy, okay? I'll race you to the door!" He gave the three year old a head start as he turned and quickly gave his brother and sister-in-law a hug, "Thanks again, you two."

Kenneth pushed his kid brother away playfully, his olive green eyes shining with mischief, "Go on, Prince Charming. The sooner you get back, the sooner you get to the airport, get on the planet, and get to see your princess."

"Thanks again!" He called out as he raced to the front door and slipped on his tennis shoes and leather jacket. Just as he was leading Emma out with a hold of her hand, he saw Laura Martinez heading up the sidewalk. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, obviously still not into the Halloween mood even all these years later apart from the cape that she wore around her neck and a pair of cat ears on her head. Her jet black hair was tied up in a ponytail that fell over her back like a waterfall. When she saw them step out of the house, she waved at them with her grin beamed against the copper tone of her skin and bent over as Emma bounded over to her, picking the three year old up into her arms.

"Hey, Ems! You're sure looking pretty tonight. Did Mommy help you with your makeup?" The little girl nodded and Laura kissed her cheek affectionately, surprisingly not messing up the blush on her cheek before she placed her back on the ground. Ezra's childhood friend locked eyes with him and rolled her chocolate brown eyes at his costume, "You look like some punk ass kid escorting this beautiful little girl. Honestly, Ezra, where is your sense of color coordinating?" She poked him playfully in the side.

He shoved her finger aside, "You're not exactly dressed for success either, Laur Laur. What are you even supposed to be?" He teased her and after a moment, he drew her in for a one armed hug, "How are you doing? I haven't seen you in over a month. We really ought to hang out more." They began to walk in the direction of the first house next door, watching Emma closely as she wandered off onto the front steps of her neighbor's steps. Ezra stayed alert and ready just in case he needed to jump into action; there were so many creeps in the world and he didn't want anything bad happening to his niece when she was in his care.

"I've been busy with work, Ez. The hospital has me on night shifts now and my sleeping schedule is really out of whack. And when you get back from Boston in December, we'll have to hang out." The young woman winked at him as she spotted the envelope sticking out from his back pocket, "Kenneth is really trying to say he's sorry. And he sure is using his doctor money to help pay for it." They both laughed. She paused for a moment to look at him.

He noticed as he took Emma's hand as she bounded back over to them. He met his friend's gaze with narrowed blue eyes, "What are you looking at?"

"I don't know. You just seem different from the person I saw a month ago. You seem happier, more at ease."

He cracked a smirk, his teeth shining in the rising moonlight, the blue orbs of his eyes twinkling with affection and warmth, "I am going to be seeing Aria in just a few hours. I wouldn't be surprised with myself if I leave Emma with you and get to the airport early. I am just itching to see her, Laura. I want nothing more than to get to her condo and just hold her into my arms fall of. I miss her and when I miss someone, I want them back with me more than anything else in the world." He ducked his head, his cheeks darkening, "I know I must sound like the most pathetic piece of ass on the planet, but if we're being honest here, this is the full truth and I am not ashamed of professing to the world that," He raised his voice, his voice echoing throughout the night, "I am hopelessly in love with Aria Montgomery!"

"Oh, hush, you goofball." His friend wrapped him up in an encouraging hug, placing her chin on his shoulder, "You don't sound pathetic. You sound like a man in love. You talk about Aria in the way that I would want my boyfriend to talk about me if I were ever three hundred miles away from him for six months. You're a good guy, Ezra. The world needs more guys like you in the world and less guys like Hayden Antonio Garcia."

His jaw automatically tightened, but before he could respond, Emma tugged on Ezra's sleeve, whining, "We need to hurry, Uncle Ezra. Stop messing around and shouting what everyone already knows! Mrs. Johnson is passing out full size candy bars!" She struggled to pull him down the sidewalk with her, outweighed by more than a hundred pounds. He chuckled as he followed her, making it a bit easier on her. When they reached the Johnson house, the three year old bounded up the walkway through the gate and to the porch where an older woman, leaving her uncle smiling behind her.

Laura grinned and watched the little girl bouncing up and down as she received two full size Hershey bars from Mrs. Johnson, who was in awe of the three year old's dress. She glanced over at Ezra, her eyes twinkling like a warm pool of creamy chocolate in the light of the streetlamp at the corner of the old Pennsylvanian street, "This is going to be a fun night." She touched her friend's arm as she crouched down and waited for Emma to bound back over to them. He glanced at the time on his watch. It was fast approaching eight in the evening. The air was becoming cold very quickly and he adjusted his jacket, slipping his sunglasses into his pocket since the sun had gone down already. He had to worry about his niece who wasn't wearing a jacket. He didn't want her getting sick or cold. He made a mental note to get her home as soon as she started as getting blue-lipped that wasn't from her lip gloss.

Emma handed him a piece of candy, distracting him from the time on the clock, "Come on, punk ass! It's time to get moving. We have a lot more ground to cover." She went behind him and began to push on his legs to make him walk, "Get a move on!"

He suppressed a laugh as he locked gazes with Laura, mouthing, _I blame you_, but didn't bother to correct the little girl of using such language and took her hand. Laura was right. It was going to be a very full filled evening with his niece and his old childhood friend. It made it all the more reason to make it last while he could. Even though he would be lying to them and to himself if he said his mind wasn't elsewhere.

_It was already three hundred and forty three miles northeast in Boston…._

* * *

><p>Ezra took a deep breath as he slowly stepped off of the airplane and into the gate that led into the almost vacant Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. It was raining and it was less than thirty degrees outside. The sooner he got to Aria's condo just off of the BU campus, the better. He rather not sneeze in his girlfriend's face when he went in to kiss her for the first time in two months. That was probably his worst nightmare and he fought to shake it out of his head. <em>Don't jinx it, don't jinx it.<em>

When he had dropped Emma off at his brother's, she was asleep in his arms. He had had to carry her for at least four blocks covered in his jacket, leaving him in his plain blue t-shirt. He tucked her into bed without waking her and said goodbye to loved ones before he had headed to the airport. He couldn't express the feelings he had had when he boarded that almost empty plane at midnight. He was tired and had wanted to rest, but his mind was racing with what to say and do when he saw Aria. He wouldn't get to the condo until at least three in the morning and he didn't want to spook her. He was going to try and be romantic, but he knew as soon as he saw her, he would just take her into his arms and kiss her. He would just take her into his body and never let her go.

He thanked to the flight attendant who guided him off of the plane as he made his way to the luggage claim. He almost immediately saw it roll by and he was quick to grab it. He glanced around and followed the signs that led him to the car rental garage. He stepped into it and looked around. It was nearly empty and he quickly found the 2008 Dodge Avenger, its shiny red paint glimmering in the faint fluorescent light. He broke out into a smile and ran his hands through his hair, muttering, "Kenneth, oh how I love you for this."

Ezra threw his suitcase into the passenger seat and turned on the car. It had a low tank of gas, but he would probably be able to make it to the condo by the time it was empty. He hoped and prayed that it would because he seriously did not want to get out and push it in the cold and rain of the New England weather. He was surprised that it wasn't snowing that early morning of November 1st. He adjusted his mirrors and flicked on the headlights along with the windshield wipers. He dialed Aria's address into the GPS and slowly began to pull out of the parking garage.

The six mile drive to the condo just off the BU campus was a blur. Ezra couldn't think of anything else but seeing Aria's face again. He was already imagining it. Her hazel eyes wide with shock that would quickly turn lustful and loving. Her long brunette hair falling over her shoulders even though it was being held by a ponytail. Her kissable mouth agape in shock before turning into a fully blown smile across her face. Her face free of makeup, eye shadow, and lipstick that she didn't even need. He was ready to see his girlfriend again.

_He was ready to see his princess again. _

Finally, he pulled into the condo complex's parking lot, parking the car in a parking place far away from the building. He cut the engine and checked the time. It was two forty five. He knew that she would probably still be awake, writing in her journal or watching TV. He knew what room she was in. Ironically, it was on the third floor and the second condo from the outside stairwell. _Apartment 3B_. He looked for the room, but with a sense of disappointment, there were no windows for him to see out of unless they were on the other side. The door of the condo had no windows and gave no indication whether he was still awake or not.

Ezra took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. He was immediately pelted by rain and he quickly shut the Dodge's door and pressed the lock button once; he was careful not to set it off twice because it would cause the vehicle to give a beep of the horn, thus ruining the surprise of him being there. He ran as fast as he could to the overhang, but alas, it was not before he was soaked with the cold rain water, seeping to his skin and drenching it. He was shivering by the time he reached the steps. His lungs ached with the chilly air and he took a couple of breaths before he slowly made his way up the steps.

Once he reached the third floor, his heart began to hammer. There, just two doors down from his place standing on the cool cement ground beneath his feet, was where his heart lied. Where his entire life was huddled up all alone in a two bedroom loft, hopefully missing him as much as he missed her, He took in another breath and let it out as he slowly walked to the door that said _3B _on it. He hesitated. He clasped the jewelry box in his jacket pocket that contained a three carat diamond engagement ring, a ring that he had preordered for when he first out that he going to visit her by their anniversary. It had been on layaway and waiting for its owner to pick it up. Luckily, that bonus from Walter James had helped make its final payment. It wasn't much to represent his commitment to her, but Aria knew that if he could, he would shower her with all the riches that the world had to offer.

He whispered, "Lord, help me." He slowly tapped in the door with the knuckles of his fist. His heart was about to leap out of his chest. He wasn't ready for this, he wasn't ready for this, _he wasn't ready for this. _That was until after about five soft taps on the door, it opened. And there she stood. There she stood in a nightgown. His heart stopped.

There Aria stood in a silk nightgown. The material flowed over her skin that was still a light creamy copper from all of her days in the sun that summer. She looked like she had lost weight, about fifteen pounds from that stomach bug three weeks before but there was a glow to her cheeks that he had never seen before. A certain kind of shine that radiated the rest of her face. There was a twinkle in those almond grey eyes and a bat to her lashes. She looked like he had woken her up, but as soon as she opened the door enough to see him standing there, cold and shivering, covered in rain, her eyes shot open, her drowsiness forgotten. Her mouth dropped open in agape shock and one word escaped it.

"_Ezra?"_

**A very long and overdue chapter for all of you. Before the authors note, the word count was about 14,500 words, something that I didn't expect for this chapter. The words just started flowing and I changed a bit of what I had had planned that I either cut out or will be including in the next two chapters. And by a bit, I mean **_**a lot. **_**Let's just say that my outlines are never set in stone. **

**I know a lot of you have been waiting for me to update for quite some time. If you read any of my other stories (that I hope to update soon as well!), things have been a bit rough on my road and I am glad that I am finally getting back to what I love and that is writing. So thank you for being so patient and waiting for me these past couple of months, anxiously waiting for this update. Also, THANK YOUTHANK YOU THANK YOU for 200 reviews on this story. I am so blessed to have such loyal readers in my circle. **

**The pregnancy storyline: I have a lot of unique plans in store for it. And Aria may keep it a secret for a while longer than she planned. **

**Aria/Nicky: I cannot deny that Nicky has an attraction to Aria but let me be very clear: **_**she is not changing her mind about being with Ezra**_**. Nicky has a few interesting things coming his way. Trust me, nothing will be going on with these two that will be crossing any lines…of some sort.**

**As said before, I write for me because I love to write and I choose to share my story with all of you because I feel as though you guys enjoy it and want to see more of it. But it doesn't mean that I don't like seeing your guys' feedback. So, if you could spare two minutes of your precious time and leave some words. I would greatly appreciate it. Please constructive criticism and no burning! Everything is taken professionally. Thank you in advance. **

**The support for this story has been stellar and I couldn't ask for anything better. Also, happy anniversary to it since I posted the first chapter a year ago. I am so proud of it and where it's going with the trilogy that I have planned. And my readers, are a major part of that. So, cookies for all of you for sticking with it. Stay tuned for the next chapter, Chapter 17: If I Knew Then. See you soon!**


	17. If I Knew Then

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 17**

**If I Knew Then**

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><p><em>If I knew then<em>

_What I know now_

_Whoa, if I knew then, what I know now_

_I'd fall in love_

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><p>It was one word. One word that made her skin crawl and her heart seem like it was racing. It was the kind of word that made her question things and feel a sense of life and hunger for everything that it had to offer again. It contained four letters and fell from her lips as if it were magic, a religion, or passion that just took over every will of her body. It wasn't just a word; it was a <em>name. <em>It was the name that she hadn't said in months face to face with whom it belonged. So, there she stood in the doorway of her Bostonian condo in her nightgown, staring at _him_, the word, the name, the man, _the person _that was standing in front of her with his dark brown curly hair drizzled with the New England autumn rain and an all too familiar leather satchel that hung over his shoulder, being soaked in the cold water as he blinked back at her with sparkling eyes.

It was the face she hadn't see in more than two and a half months.

She didn't know if she was dreaming, but even if she was, Aria didn't want to wake up.

"_Ezra?"_

"Aria." Her name fell off his lips in a way that made her feel like she was floating and in a way that made it seem like this dream was one that she didn't want to wake up from, "I can't believe it's you. I can't believe I'm here in front of you." He smiled that boyish grin with a shaky breath of relief exiting his body and ran his fingers through the curls of his wavy brown hair, "The stupid lion has made his way back to the beautiful lamb at last." His satchel fell off of his shoulder and his arms opened off to catch her as she launched herself into them without any hesitation.

"Ezra…I can't believe it's you!" She exclaimed and despite the fact that he was soaking wet and she thought the pregnancy hormones were making her dream of what she wanted to see, which was the father of her child and was there in the flesh instead of over three hundred miles away, she only held him closer to her, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and clinging to his cold body, finding warmth and comfort there on the wet surface in his skin. She felt his face her neck, pressing his lips to it, giving it to sweet kisses and murmuring mumbled words that sounded like _I love you_. She couldn't believe what was going on and that this was really happening, but if it was a dream, it was the most real dream she had ever had in her life.

And she didn't want to wake up from it. His arms felt real, his chest felt real and his kisses on the skin of her neck felt even more real. She would recognize those lips anywhere because there was no doubt that she missed kissing them more than anything else in the world.

She let out choked sobs into his chest, clinging so close to him that there was no space between them. He only hugged her closer, murmuring soothing and comforting words to her. She stuttered out, the sobs ripping through her chest, "I'm-I'm sorry I look like a mess right now. I just heard you knock and I had to throw on this nightgown." She drew in rapid and deep breaths to calm herself, "It's three in the morning and you just sort of showed up on my doorstep and-"

He chuckled at her rambling and soothed her in calming words, "Stop talking, Aria." He grinned at her with his teeth glistening with a white pearly perfection of enamel. "I missed you so much and there is nothing about you that I don't love." Ezra watched as Aria ducked her head in shyness and he took her hands, pressing a kiss to them as he lifted them to his lips. "I' here now and you are oh so beautiful and we both know how much you love to sleep naked, so you could have just come out with nothing on and I would have been fine with that." He paused before kissing a few locks of her hair as her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet red, "I've been looking forward to this since August."

She rubbed her face into her boyfriend's shirt, "You and I both, Ezra. I've just missed you so much and you're here now…Three weeks before we planned and you just show up at early hours of the morning at my condo…" She wrapped herself around him again, "You are such a hopeless romantic. I think it's gotten worse than when you asked me to dance on the balcony the night before I left." She stopped abruptly after that, knowing what happened that night and what they created with one simple stroke between them in the sheets of the apartment bed. She looked down and saw the small bump that barely lied there underneath her nightgown. She hoped he didn't see the evidence yet. She wasn't even close to telling him and she didn't want their first conversation to be about baby clothes and doctor's appointments. She would tell him, just not at that very moment.

He pulled her in tighter to his body before continuing, ignoring her abrupt pause, "I know it's a bit earlier than what we thought it would be, but my brother pulled some strings and here I am in Boston…" He leaned away so then he could peer into her eyes, wiping the few tears from her cheeks and the forming ones from the corners from the glistening hazel orbs gently with his thumb, "…I am here in Boston with you for the whole month of November."

Her eyebrows creased together in a sense of surprise, "A whole month? How did the big bad wolf of that brother of yours pull in those favors for you and why would he do that for us when he doesn't want us to be together? I thought he hated me for being a dirty little slut. Besides he's too busy, wanting to set you up with old childhood friends of yours."

He shook his head in denial, a sheepish grin on his face, "You're anything but a slut, Aria and he knows it. However, I had my own doubts about his opinions about us being together, especially after you headed up here, but he got pushed over by his wife and my three year old niece. So, after Emma and Natalie got to him, he pitched in an open boarding pass to go back and forth between here and Rosewood. It was a very generous anniversary gift." He kissed her forehead, his soft lips lingering on her cool skin and then moved his mouth to her ear, whispering, "Now I have an open invitation to go and see my Princess Aria."

"Princess Aria?"

"It's the nickname that Emma gave to you last night when I took her trick-or-treating. Plus, you're royalty to me, so…"

"That's too sweet. I can't wait to meet her."

"The feeling is likewise for her. She is already calling you 'Auntie Awia'. Her words, not mine." He chuckled and then sighed, "Maybe I should have called first…:

Aria pulled away from Ezra and with one of her arms still entangled around his neck, she brought her free hand to his mouth and hushed him, feeling the sexual tension growing between them moment by moment, "An entire month with you is enough to make for making me out on this terrace practically naked." She slapped his chest in affection and he raised his eyebrows in surprised, a seductive smirk coming across his lips, "Now stop with the flirtatious comments and apologies and come into my humble abode, which will now be _ours_." She leaned up to where her breath brushed against his skin, "You're going to get used to being here after all the time you're going to spend in the all of the rooms." She paused before drawing her fingers down to the hem of his t-shirt and gave it a little tug as she lifted it up and ran them across the bare skin of his stomach. "I will give you a thorough tour of the bedroom."

He laughed loudly and grabbed her waist as he pulled her twice, his vibrating abdomen pressing against hers in a matching beat, his breathing heavy in her face, "Well, that's an offer I can't refuse." He kissed the tip of her nose and then rested his forehead against hers, swallowed hard as his thumb caressed her cheek, "I love you, Aria. And I can't tell you that enough.

"I love you, too." She opened her eyes and was soon drowned by the deep smoldering indigo that stared back at her, a mysterious ocean that she had missed so much, "I think your being here has proved it enough."

He shook his head again, swallowing deep in his throat again, "I don't think I could ever prove it. You mean too much to me and when I have to leave, I don't think I could be apart from you again." He hesitated before continuing, "I've been thinking that maybe that once my two year contract is up and all goes well up here, we can permanently move here and start our lives together. Get married, buy a house, and have a few kids. Boston seems like a nice place to raise a family." He quickly added after looking at her up and down, "I just want you. You and I, the rest of forever."

She couldn't bring herself to say anything, knowing where a growing human being was now in her uterus, getting bigger and bigger everyday. She knew that sometime in the next few weeks that she wouldhave to tell the father of her child and then they would have to go from there. Maybe they could switch the order of his plan. Maybe they could work this whole mess out before he left and then he could stay with her, taking a leave from work and help her through the pregnancy. They could do it together as long as they weren't three hundred and forty-three miles away from each other.

Aria suddenly shivered and the moment was broken as they stepped away from one another as the sexual tension in the air got thicker and thicker. She giggled nervously and looked up at her boyfriend, "So, would you like to come in?"

"Of course I do. I want to see if it beats our apartment down in Rosewood." He grinned at her and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as if he knew already what was going to happen. The sparks that she felt when they first met were there between them, only the intensity was even more extreme. She practically already felt him on top of her, making sweet love to her like how he did on the night before she left for Boston, "It is a little chilly out here and I'm soaked in rain. Maybe we can get warmed up with a cup of coffee and some cuddling in your bedroom before tuning in for the night?"

She nodded, licking her lips with her tongue as she looked at her boyfriend up and down, "How about we bring this party inside then?"She went to grab his one duffel bag, but he stopped her when he dipped his head and pressed his lips aggressively against hers, his hand coming up to caress her face. It was their first kiss in two and a half months. It was different. It was full of a new light and longing with a sense of want and sexual desire. It didn't last any longer than five short seconds, but it felt drawn out and passionate, the air being sucked out from Aria's lungs before her boyfriend finally drew away from her, his smoldering dark cobalt eyes glimmering with lust.

That was all it took for their willpower to drop and for their instincts to kick in.

Ezra's duffel remained on the cool ground as he launched himself into the condo, kicking the door loudly behind him, attacking her mouth with his own, his teeth biting and pulling at her lips. It was pitch black in the apartment apart from the strikes of lightning from the windows in the living room, so they had to go by the familiar touch of their skin that they both knew so well. She grabbed a fistful of the hem of his t-shirt and ripped it over his head, the palms of her hands running up against the skin of his stomach and chest, bringing a sense of thrill and sexual desire to every inch and nerve of her body. She squatted down and ran her mouth up his torso which was soaked with raindrops and sweat before bringing it back up to his, hearing her name being moaned from inside her boyfriend's mouth.

She could feel everything in each muscle of Ezra's being, flexing against her as he shoved her against a wall, his lips sucking and nipping at her neck. She moaned as she dug her fingers into the curls of his dark brown hair and moved herself against her boyfriend's, no space between them. Ezra's free hand that wasn't caressing her face brought her leg up and around his waist as he hoisted her up around him and continued to kiss her passionately, his mouth harsh and aggressive against hers. She had never seen this kind of aggressive side of him before and she had to admit to herself that _she liked it. _It gave him power and will that overdrew his self-control of being the gentle and caring one. He was taking control and there was nothing else that turned her on more.

Ezra separated his mouth from his girlfriend's, his breathing heavy and his eyes looking up at Aria who was also breathing so hard, she didn't even know that the term air was. He leaned his forehead against her heavily moving chest as he fought to regain his composure, "Which-which way is-is the b-bedroom?" She jerked her head down the hall and he nodded quickly before he looked back up at her and their mouths locked again, his tongue slithering into her mouth to fight for dominance, her back not leaving the wall as they made their way down to her condo bedroom where her queen sized bed awaited them with the sheets already been slept in and the bedspread already pulled open. Ezra pressed her up against the door and bit her bottom lip while her tongue ran over his top one. Her body was pressed so tightly against his, there was no room for even a magazine to fit between them. His hands were all over her body; from caressing her legs to running them up and down her back. He was everywhere.

He kicked the door open and tackled her onto the bed. Her nightgown was soon off of her and Ezra began to kiss her chest and stomach, smiling against her skin with each individual peck. He looked up at her and shook his head, "I've missed this side of you, love. You have been holding out on me on all of those video-chats and phone calls." He made circles on her thigh as he continued to peck tiny kisses on her torso.

A sense of fear went over Aria. She didn't want him to feel the bump. Their bump_.Their baby._Not yet and not like this when they were going to reconnect for the first time since August. She tapped his chin and he looked up at her, his mouth so close to her waist. She could see the small bump on her stomach in the illumination of the room, but, luckily, Ezra seemed to be too _occupied _with other things to pay attention. She jerked her head up to signal him to return to her lips and he grinned mischievously, his bare shoulders moving up and down in the loss of breath as he moved his mouth slowly up her body to where his lipsfought hungrily and harshly with hers once more, pulling and biting aggressively.

With that possible disaster moving out of their way, her hands undid the belt of his jeans and unbuckled them with the following action of her sliding them down his legs and then Ezra kicking them off of his legs and onto the bedroom floor. He moved into a place on top of her as he finally pressed a slow and longing kiss to her mouth that glistened with moisture from their passionate kisses and exchanged saliva. Ezra took a breath and pulled away for a moment, peering into the darkness into his girlfriend's eyes, caressing her face gently with his hands.

He pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead and murmured, "I love you so much, Aria. We're here now. Together with no barriers and nothing unsaid between us." He tucked a loose lock of her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead again.

"It's just the two of us. So, let's not care together." She smiled up at him, her teeth gleaming in the flashes of the brief lightning, giving her a full view of Ezra who sat over her. His eyes were dark with lust and desire mixed with adoration and love, his body powerful and shaking in anticipation. She twirled one of his curls around her finger and rubbed his cheek smoothly with the palm of her hand as she continued, "I love you and I am so happy we're together again."

"I am, too, baby. I am, too." She watched as Ezra smiled and he leaned down to press a gentle and sweet kiss to her mouth.

There were no other words needed. In the dark room, with the lightning flashing and the thunder crashing outside the bedroom window, their moans and cries of each other's names in each other's mouths, the estranged couples reconnected. The sparks had turned into as big as something as a hurling comet into Earth, leaving a trail in the sky of fire and flames. That's what their love felt like and that's what the hunger felt like. The hunger, the craze, the love they felt for one another was as evident as the colors of the remaining leaves in the trees.

_They were reunited as last._

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><p>It was one of those mornings. It was the morning after a storm had passed and now all that remained of it were the puddles with droplets of the remaining water making ripples within them. A few of the drops rolled down the bedroom window of a certain Bostonian condo on the third floor and the second from the stairs. The room was messy; clothes and underwear was strewn all across it. As were two people that were tangled in a mess of bliss and skin, lying on a sheet on the floor at the end of the bed. They wore nothing but each other, and at that moment, that was enough for both of them as they took in one another's company for the first time since August.<p>

Ezra stirred, his blue eyes drowsily opening and blinking against the faint sunrise as it shown through the thin curtains of the balcony window as it struggled to break the horizon, raindrops from the previous night's storm racing down the smooth glass and crashing down against the windowsill. Birds chirped and sang outside and he could hear the sounds of people three floors below. Everything seemed frozen at that moment. Nothing could break the trance that sat almost sacredly in the bedroom of the condo.

He just continued to watch her sleep, the tenderness of her face a refreshing image of her mind. She was peaceful and that was one of the many things that he knew she wasn't very often. Her hazel eyes were shut and her lips were closed. One of her hands was entangled with his and the other was caressing her stomach. A thought crossed his mind, but he immediately pushed it away because he knew that it was impossible. His tired eyes raked over her body and a sense of bliss went over hm. How had he gotten so lucky to be with this amazing woman who thrilled every inch of him when they were together? And how had they been able spent so much time and distance apart? After what happened just six hours before, he was surprised that he was able to last that long without being able to hug, kiss, and touch her in places that were closed off to everyone but _him_.

He stretched and rested his weight on his elbows as he sat up. Aria was fast asleep beside him, wearing nothing but a white sheet. Her hair was a mess and the makeup that she hadn't washed from her face the day before was streaked from dried tears and sweat, but he could have sworn that he had never seen anything more beautiful than his girlfriend at that moment. He chuckled softly and leaned down to press a firm kiss to her forehead, murmuring, "I love you."

She smiled, her eyes still closed, indicating that she was still sleeping. She whispered and he felt his lips pull into a grin as he heard her response, "_I love you, too._" Her breathing deepened again and soon she was back into the land of her dreams. He had to wonder what she was dreaming about. Was she dreaming about him behind those eyelids that hid her hazel eyes that drowned him in lava of burning embers of the fire that burned every part, inch, cell, and nerve of him whenever she locked gazes with him?

He ran his hand through his messy dark brown hair before herose to his feet, careful not wake to her. He found his boxers near the entrance of the bedroom and slipped them on before exiting the bedroom and closing the door very quietly behind him. He walked down the hallway, spying his t-shirt from the night before and he shook his head, his cheeks turning a dark scarlet as he remembered when Aria passionately and aggressively ripped it off of his body. He didn't bother to put it back on as he walked by it and into the living room.

Someone could easily fit his old apartment into this condo three times. It was fancy, with almost all white walls and a large window facing the harbor which the view was currently covered by thick dark blue curtains. He bet that Aria was happy that the college was paying for her to stay here; otherwise, she'd be living in something way less expensive such as a box on the sidewalk. It fit her, though. It was artsy despite having any color in it other than a few paintings on the walls that she had hung up and a photo or two of her, Hanna, Spencer and Emily from when they were in high school and when she moved back to Rosewood. There were folders and papers everywhere along with empty takeout boxes and coffee cups from Bigby and Starbucks. Ezra assumed that she was far too busy to spend her time cleaning. He doubted that she was hardly ever home because of her job that kept her so pre-occupied.

He started a pot of coffee before he walked over the mess in the living room and pulled the curtains away from the window and looked out of the window with narrowed eyes as the sunlight the cobalt orbs. He leaned against the windowsill with his forearm resting against the glass and his head resting against his arm. He was almost envious of his girlfriend who got to live in such a nice place. It made their apartment seem like a piece of crap compared to the elegance and sophistication of the New England condo.

He sighed and shook his head. He meant when he said the night before about moving up there after his contract with Hollis was up. After all, BU had offered him a job before, so maybe they would again. He could see himself living in Massachusetts with Aria in a small suburban neighborhood in a little house with a couple kids running around after a couple years. He was tired of the distance between them and he was sick of living apart from her. He couldn't see himself going back to Rosewood; especially not after seeing her for all of November. He would propose to her, they would get married by the New Year the following month and just spend the rest of forever together.

Something caught Ezra's eye on the middle table. It was a picture that brought an immediate grin to his lips. He sat on the couch and took it into the palms of his hands, caressing the frame gently with the tips of his fingers. The picture was from the day he moved in with Aria. Spencer had taken it without them knowing while they were packing up some of his books into boxes. She'd been curled up beside him, her head on his shoulder as he had his lips pressed into her dark brunette hair, his eyes distant as he murmured loving words to her from his copy of the playbill of _Romeo and Juliet_. They had been in their own little world when her friend took it and now Aria must look at it to get back to that world just as he did his best to.

With a large sigh, he set the picture down and went to the kitchen to get his first cup of coffee when all of a sudden, two tiny arms wrapped tightly around his waist and he felt the wetness of a mouth against the blades of his pale shoulders. He chuckled as Aria seductively whispered into the clamminess of his skin, "Good morning, early riser." He moaned as she kissed his spine smoothly and slowly, "If I were a vampire, you would be the most _delicious _piece of prey." He looked down and saw her hands sliding up and down his stomach, one of her fingers making out the contour lines of his abdomen, "Very delicious indeed."

Ezra turned around and looked down at his girlfriend with lustful eyes, just as they had been the night before. He noticed that she was still only wearing that sheet. It was wrapped around her tiny body and clung to it rather nicely, if he did say so himself. He didn't say anything in response as he slowly leaned in to give her a morning kiss. As soon as their mouths touched, the world stopped spinning and even though it only lasted a few moments, it was long enough for him to wish that it lasted longer.

When they separated, he swallowed hard and grinned down at her after giving her a peck on the tip of her nose, causing her to giggle, "Well, I guess that is one way of a greeting. You've obviously been watching _The Vampire Diaries _way too much. You're more of an Elena than a Katherine."

"I resent that comment, Mr. Fitz."

"Why, Miss Montgomery, I am just being honest with you." He reached and tucked a lock of her loose hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek with his thumb, "You're way less seductive and self-entitled than Katherine Pierce is while you're sweet and compassionate like Elena Gilbert." He narrowed his eyebrows, "I don't think I would ever drink a rabbit's or squirrel's blood like Stefan, so you're going to have to go for my being Damon."

"Is that so?" She backed away from him slowly in the direction of the living room, their entangled hands being torn apart. She took one of the flaps of the sheet that was keeping it at her chest, "I think I can be pretty seductive and self-entitled, if I do say so myself."

He felt sweat brewing at the line that met between his forehead and hair, "What are you doing there?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Aria winked at him as she raised the part of the sheet that covered her legs, revealing a fresh amount of skin that made her boyfriend leaning against the counter for support. She looked at him and shook her head with a smile as she turned her back to him and headed toward the living room sofa. She sat on the leather and lied down, lifting the sheet and opening it, revealing her entire body, making Ezra moan within his mouth and let out a little whimper as he felt the magnetic pull over to her. He couldn't ignore it and he couldn't stop it. He just felt it and after being apart from her for so long, he sure as hell wasn't going to fight it.

He stopped a few feet in front of her before launching himself on top of her, taking in all of her. He threw the sheet over them as their lips crashed in a heated sense of want and desire, shielding them from vulnerability. Aria slid her hand down the smooth marble-like surface of Ezra's chest and massaged the contour lines of his abdomen while his lips moved down to the outside walls of her throat and began to nip at her neck. His hands rhythmically ran up and down her legs, making her moan with uncontainable pleasure as she pressed continuous kisses to his arms. They were cemented together with no space left between them.

He supported his weight on his left arm as he began to lift himself from her, his right hand slipping underneath the sheet to caress her thighs rhythmically and she moaned in response into his mouth, her tongue probing his lips open. Meanwhile her hands were also busy; they slipped backdown to their normal place on his torso; only they didn't stop. This time they went all the way down to the waistband of his boxers. She played with the hem as if to tease him and he groaned in response into her mouth.

Before anything could go any further, there was a knock on the door and he quickly jumped off of her, their lips being torn apart. Her name was called by a feminine voice, giving him reassurance that Nicholas Marino didn't have the habit of coming over every Saturday morning to take advantage of the fact that he was not there to prevent that from happening, "Aria! Are you in there? We brought over some coffee and scones from the bakery down the road." There was a pause, "Get your ass up before I inhale your scone!"

Another feminine voice called out after the first, only this one had a bit of a foreign accent, "Um, Aria, please explain to us as to why there is a man's overnight duffel bag and a satchel in front of your door."

"Shit, it's Haley and Katrin. Every Saturday morning, they bring over coffee and we grade papers together with chick flicks playing in the background. I completely spaced. Here, Ezra help me find some clothes to wear. I can't exactly let my friends see me in a sheet." Aria muttered as she threw the sheet back over herself as she struggled to regain her composure and began to look around the apartment for something to wear, "I'm just happy that Nicky didn't come over."

Jealousy bit Ezra and the condo fell silent other than the sound of their heavy breathing as he helped Aria find a pair of her sweatpants and a dirty t-shirt. He watched as she put them on and he hesitated before saying, "Does he come over often?"

She shrugged as she fixed her hair, tying it back in a ponytail, "Once in a while. He's busy a lot of the time because of charity events and such." When she saw that he was jealous, she stretched up and gave him a kiss, running her hand across his cheek to his lips, "You have nothing to worry about and you have nothing to be bitten by the green-eyedmonster over. We're just friends and nothing would ever happen between us. Plus, he is too into himself to ever have me as a girlfriend while you're shy and insecure and that is what I love about you." She kissed him again before he could protest to her statement, only this time it was only that much harder for them to stop. She dug her fingers into the curls of his dark brown hair and it took all of Ezra's will power not to tear the clothes she had just put on off of her body.

He bit her bottom lip gently with his top teeth and opened his eyes to find that hers were open as well. He slowly pulled away before their mouths crashed together again, his fingers digging into the hem of her shirt. Why did there have to be such a cockblock when he wanted her more than anything else in the world? He wanted all the taste that her lips would allow and wanted to give her the love she deserved. How was he supposed to do that when he had to not touch her for at least three hours before her colleagues would leave. He didn't know if he would be able to as he took her into his arms tightly, feeling her hands sliding up and down his stomach and chest, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps in their wake on the surface of his clammy skin.

There was an unlocking sound and they jumped away from each other again. Two young women slowly entered the apartment. The younger one of the two dropped the bag of pastries that she was holding as she saw a grown man standing there in the middle of her friend's living room, wearing only boxers that covered his midsection. Her brown eyes were wide with surprise and shock and only words that were able to come out of her mouth were: "Whoa there!"

The older woman was able to keep her composure as she placed the three cups of coffee on the counter, "Were we interrupting something?"

Both Ezra and Aria's cheeks went red as the young women looked at them with wide eyes and agape mouths. Aria was the first to speak out of the two of them, her voice suppressing a giggle and obviously withholding a smile, "Well, sort of. I told you guys only to use that key only if there is an emergency." The two women began to stammer of excuses of why they used the spare key and Ezra only felt more vulnerable under the eyes of them, feeling like a piece of meat.

"Well, I'm sorry. Next time, I'll make sure that _Haley _doesn't knock on the door and then when it's not answered, just walks into your condo." The older of the two said, not taking her eyes off of Ezra's face, knowing he must have felt uncomfortable. She was the one with the accent that he recognized to had been Swedish.,"Are you going to formally introduce us to him?"

The younger woman, on the other hand, had no sense of shame and could not take her hungry eyes off of his torso, "Yes, please introduce us to this hot piece of ass. I would love to get to know him."

"Down, Haley." Aria laughed with a roll of her eyes and then a shake of her head before she shook her head and wrapped her arm around her boyfriend's waist, "This is my boyfriend. This is Ezra."

"The famous Ezra in the flesh at last?" Haley bounced up and down in excitement and rushed over to shake his hand, "I'm Haley Russet." She jerked her head back at her friend who was too busy mocking her from afar with laughs rolling through her body, "And that prized comedian and future Nobel Peace Prize holder is Katrin Danielson." She took a breath and continued as if she just had to keep talking and had no filter, "We've heard so much about you. I mean it. This girl," Haley gestured to Aria, "never shuts up about you. But hey, now I can see why. I hope at least one person has told you how attractive you are and how appreciative I am of Aria introducing you when you aren't wearing pants."

"Haley!" Both Aria and Katrin yelled at her and the young brunette just giggled while the twenty-seven year old's cheeks turned a dark cherry in embarrassment.

Ezra swallowed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck, "Nope, only my mom." They all shared a laugh, Haley the loudest out of them all, "But it's nice to meet the two of you. I have learned a great amount about you from Aria." He realized once again that he was only in boxers and he shrugged in complacence, "All of which we can go over after I take a shower and put on some clothes." He grinned his famous boyish smirk that his girlfriend loved so much and he kissed her cheek, "I'll be out in a little while to join you three ladies."

Katrin handed him his duffel bag that he had left outside the night before and he took it with a thankful nodded, but before he could turn and walk away, Haley called out, "Congratulations, by the way!"

He slowly turned his attention to the young woman with narrowed eyes, every expression on his face saying that he was confused, "Congratulations for what, exactly?"

Obviously the three of them shared a secret that wasn't meant to be known and Aria was quick to cover it up while her boyfriend continued to look puzzled as to what they were keeping from him, "I'm sure that she meant that for your safe flight up here." She giggled nervously, "Right, Haley?"

Her friend nodded in agreement, "Yes that is exactly what I meant! What else would it be?" She peered around to look at his backside and when he gave her a raise of one of his eyebrows, "Also, congratulations on that ass of yours. Do you workout on just the gluteus-maximus or your entire body?" She looked at him up and down, licking her lips, "I am going to go with your entire body. Shame that there is only one of you."

"Okay, Haley, that's enough. You're just full of it today, aren't you?" Aria shook her head at her friend, who just shrugged and walked into the living room to join Katrin, who was already grading some of the papers that sat on the table. The young woman turned to Ezra, who still had his gaze in little slits, wondering what just happened, "You better go take that shower before Haley takes pictures of you and sends them to her entire address book." She looped her arm around his and led him down to the bathroom which was across the hall from the second bedroom.

When they stopped, he turned to her and looked her straight in the eyes without saying anything. Aria caught the look immediately and rolled her eyes, "You're not allowed to look at me like that." He shrugged in response and she took his hands, placing them in hers, giving them a kiss, "Stop it, Ezra."

"Stop what, Aria? Worrying about what this secret could be? I thought that you trusted me enough to tell me anything." Silence fell between them ashe hesitated before asking, his eyes locking with hers again, blinking furiously as he tried to sort out all of the questions in his head, "What in the hell did she mean? And don't try and lie to me again, Aria. I know that something is going on that you obviously don't want me to know about. Isn't it just easier to tell me what is going on rather than lying to my face about it?" When she didn't respond, he sighed and shook his head, taking her into his arms in a hug, "If there was something wrong, you would tell me right?"

She pulled away after a few moments of silence and stroked his cheek, looking deeply into his smoldering blue gaze, "There is nothing wrong here. Actually," She leaned up to kiss him and after a second or two of lingering skin touching skin, they separated and leaned their foreheads together. Her breath landed on his face, the sting leaving goose bumps, as she murmured softly, "this is nothing but being right. You and me, hanging out again just like how we did in the summer after I came back. Plus, I don't think that anything we've been doing since early this morning has been wrong." They both laughed and their cheeks turned pink and Ezra watched as she looked up at him with those burning hazel eyes, "I promise I will tell you when they leave."

He nodded in agreement, "Pinky swear?" He stuck his pinky out, a smirk pulling at the corners of his soft pink lips.

She giggled and wrapped her pinky around his, "I pinky swear, you silly little man-child." She stretched up and left a lingering kiss on his mouth, leaving behind a tang of strawberries as she untangled herself from him and walked back to the main room, still facing him as she backed away, her eyes not leaving his, "Still think I'm Elena?"

The twenty-seven year old ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck in sheepishness, "Actually, I think you have very much proven your point, _Miss Pierce._"

Aria did a curtsy while holding the air that was her imaginary corset of her imaginary dress, "Why thank you, _Mr. Salvatore._"

"Now which one am I?" Ezra looked at his girlfriend up and down, licking his lips with a smirk pulling at their corners.

She thought for a moment and gave him a mischievous grin, "You decide." He nodded in acceptance and when he looked back up from under the curls of his dark brown hair, he caught her staring at him, "I missed you, Ezra."

He flashed a bit of that boyish smile for her, the one that she loved so much, "I missed you, too."

They stared at one another for a few moments longer before she turned her back and went to join her friends. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a wave, mouthing the words 'I love you', kissing the palm of her hand and blew it to him before making a heart with her hands, just as they did during their goodbyes after their Skypes when they were apart. He caught the kiss in his fist and pressed it to his lips before copying her heart with one of his own, which was much more lopsided, but it made the point and her cheeks turned pink as she twirled a piece of her hair around her finger and went into the living room, her head just barely in his view from where he stood at the end of the condo's hallway.

He watched her walk away with a million of his unanswered and unasked questions going through his head, _Her new friends seemed so be good to her while we're apart. I'm glad they fill the void that she must feel being away from her other friends back in Rosewood. Something is definitely different though. She is acting way out of character for herself, like she was hiding something from me. I can't figure out what it could be. What did Haley mean by it when she told me congratulations? Obviously whatever it was, Aria doesn't want me to know what it was all about. She was the one who covered it up, or attempted to. She knows that she can trust me with anything and that I'll be here for here no matter is, so why all the secrecy? Why am I the last to know?_

_Especially if this exact something to do with me and our relationship?_

* * *

><p>As soon as Aria knew that Ezra was in the shower and unable to hear the following conversation, she stormed into the living room, not knowing how to feel about how the secret of their baby was almost revealed, "Haley! What in the hell was that?" Before her short friend should respond, she cut her off, "I told you that I haven't told him yet! I am waiting to tell him until our anniversary and now he is demanding that I tell him as soon as you guys leave today. How am I supposed to work that out?" She plopped in the sofa between the two on the leather cushions. She wasn't mad at Haley, but she was scared for the inevitable and what was going to happen later. She wasn't ready to tell him, but she also wasn't ready to lie to him again either.<p>

"Well hell, Aria! You didn't give me a warning that he was even coming into town!" Haley struggled to find the words that wouldn't upset the expectant mother since she was rather irritable lately due to the pregnancy hormones, "I just assumed that since he's here now that you've already told him. Plus, when we walked in, you two were obviously celebrating _something _by the way that you were kissing like that? How were we supposed to know that you haven't told him yet?" She shook her head, clearly mad at herself, "I'm sorry, okay?"

She put her face into hands and rubbed her eyes as if she was exhausted, "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I didn't even know that he was coming to Boston. Then he just showed on my doorstep at three this morning, wet and cold from the storm that swept through. It caught me by surprise and I am still in shock that he showed." She paused before continuing, "I had originally thought that he would be showing up closer to Thanksgiving so then we would be able to spend it together. But I guess his brother gave him plane tickets to come back and forth and here he is, taking a shower in my condo."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" Haley asked with her mouth full of a blueberry scone, trying to speak around the massive amount of food, assuming the serious moment was over, "I mean, you thought the Big Bad Wolf, also known as his older and not to mention _rich brother_, hated you. If he was willing to give up two expensive plain tickets for Ezra to travel back and forth for the next few months in addition to getting him all of November off, then he must be rooting for you to work things out."

Aria shrugged, not meeting her friends' gazes, her hand running across her baby bump protectively. Now that its father was here, she felt the maternal side of her kicking in over the little one growing inside of her every moment of each day. Even if Ezra wanted nothing to do with her or his child, she would never give up the feeling that this baby gave her. It made her feel like she had finally found her purpose on Earth and that in just six short months, she would be fulfilling that purpose with everything that she had. She would protect and nurture her child for the rest of her life and she would never regret conceiving her-_she was convinced that the baby was a girl. _She could picture all of her daughters' firsts already in the almost too near future and hopefully, she would be experiencing those with Ezra at her side.

The sooner she told him, the better their situation would be, she knew that down to the deepest part of her core and she kept telling herself that to make herself feel better about the entire thing. The more she said that over and over in her mind, the scenario only gets better. Ezra picking her up and twirling her around in his arms, kissing her neck and telling her that he was going to be for every step that they took together on this lifelong journey. Yet, reality was much harsher than what she wanted to happen. So there she sat pondering about the inevitable near future about sitting him down and looking him in the eyes and saying the words that she was still trying to say to herself: _I'm pregnant. We're going to be parents_.

Katrin searched her face curiously as Aria continued to stare at her womb, "Are you happy or sad about the fact that Ezra is here? I am having a hard time distinguishing how you feel about this." The Swede sighed and shook her head, "I know Haley sort of put things on strain for your first time seeing him since the end of August and everyone in this room-and I mean _everyone_," She indicated with a small grin as she gestured to her friend's slightly bloated torso, "knows that you missed him, but you two should sit down and talk about it so then you can work out the details as you go along." She reached over and placed her hand on Aria's knee, "You two love each other more than any two people have ever loved. You can make it through this and you know that you always have Bottomless Stomach over here and myself to help you."

"Of course, I'm happy that he's here, Katrin. We've been so far apart for so long, it's hard to even imagine that I _wouldn't _miss him." She finally spoke up after looking up and seeing the two people who had helped her the most through the five weeks, knowing that they just wanted to see her happy; with or without Ezra. Though the without would make her feel a lot less happy than she would with him, "Just assume that when I tell him, that you two will be the people that I tell that I've told him. Both of you have been greatfriends to me these past few months and it has made it a lot easier while going through this with you two at my side." She gave them a warm smile before looking down at the ground, "I just have to tell him before he assumes that something is wrong. Hell, maybe _there is _something wrong here…"

The short brunette looked at her with shock in her almost identical hazel eyes, "Don't say that, Ar. Nothing is wrong." She looked over her shoulder to make sure that Ezra wasn't right behind her before turning to Aria once more, "You're going to be a great mom and he is going to be a great dad. You two are going to do just fine and you'll work everything out. This kid is going to be perfect." She jacked her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the bathroom, her eyes full of mischief, "I mean, _did you see him_? He is probably the most attractive man I have ever seen in my life." She shook her head in jealousy, "If it's a boy, he will have girls all over him."

"Down girl, I'm beginning to think that he's your boyfriend instead of mine. Plus, no son of mine will be a player. He will be taught to respect women and will be the biggest Mommy's boy that he'll never even be able to leave the house to meet a girl." Aria giggled before sighing, "Yes, I know Ezra is extremely good looking. I realized this when I met and sat next to him on that bus last year. Trust me, if I could clone him, I would make an extra copy just for you, but until the scientists help me out with that tiny blemish that cloning devices don't exist, he's all mine."

"Dammit." She snapped her fingers in obvious frustration, "Don't you believe in the phrase _sharing is caring_?"

Katrin stared at her with narrowed eyes, "This is coming from the girl who is dating a mysterious man that no one has ever seen you with. So, please share with us about this fella that everyone in the faculty at BU knows you're with."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Haley protested, her cheeks turning pink, "I am about as single as a Pringle in an empty can." Her face softened with a puppy dog face, "That makes me both sad and hungry." She went into the kitchen and started to go through the cupboards, "You don't have any Pringles do you? I'm starving and you never seem to have anything in this place." She called out behind her shoulder, "If not, I'll just get my super boyfriend who doesn't exist to bring them over later."

"You have a bottomless pit of a stomach." Her pregnant friend laughed and went to join her in the kitchen, "You just ate the majority of the scones and the candy from the center bowl on the table yet you're still hungry."

Haley shrugged as she finally found a stack of a half-empty tin of Pringles, "I am a growing girl…All five foot two of me is just taking a long time to get that last millimeter to catch up."

Her two friends rolled their eyes and Aria opened her mouth to say something, but never had a chance to as her boyfriend stepped out of the bathroom, only wearing a towel. Silence filled the room and she could see from her face and the Pringle that fell out of her mouth that Haley did not want him to ever put on clothes again; she didn't blame her. His chest glistened in warm shower water and his curly dark brown hair left water dripping down his face. Her heart fluttered as her eyes hungrily went over his body, taking in how beautiful he was in just one glance.

"Sorry for interrupting , ladies." He apologized, his cheeks dark red as he fixed his towel, feeling uncomfortable under their gazes. He looked over a Aria, knowing that she would make it better, but she was too busy distracted by his abdomen to respond, so he just sighed and shrugged out the words, "I just needed to ask Aria where the extra towels were."

Haley was the first to speak out of the three moonstruck women to all of their surprise, "Ezra, honestly, do you not wear clothes?" Before he could stutter out a response, she cut him off, "Wherever those clothes may be, I am hiding them from you."

Katrin grabbed her friend by the arms and dragged her back into the living room, "That is enough out of you, missy." She turned to Ezra, keeping her eyes locked with his, even though Aria knew it was just for her and to keep her from getting mad. She didn't blame her friends for thinking that he was good-looking, because she knew that he was practically made in this perfect form of an angel in the eyes of God, "Sorry about her random outbursts. She really does have no shame."

"I do, too!" The short woman protested as she plopped back down onto the sofa.

"Shut up and eat my scone since I already know that you want it."

"Well, I am pretty hungry…"

"What else is new?"

Ezra just shook his head, looking after his girlfriend's friends with friendly eyes, "They're good to you. They make you laugh and make me feel like a piece of meat being dangled in front of a lion." He snapped back to his original question, "So, I need more towels because yours are obviously way too short for me and too pixie size for you." He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin, "Please tell me before Haley rushes back over to rip this one of me."

"Oh, hush. She may be as blunt as a dull knife, but she has _some _self-control." Aria stretched to ruffle his wet curly brown hair and grabbed his hands to lead him to the second bedroom where in the closet there were much larger towels and she handed him one, "Are these what you were looking for?"

He took one in his hands and nodded before dipping his head to kiss her. It wasn't like the other kisses from earlier which were aggressive and full of passion. This one was sweet and gentle as his hand cradled the back of her neck, his fingertips brushing against the tiny hairs that lied there. She received the kiss with pleasure, cementing herself to him, trying to ignore the fact that he was soaking wet _yet again_. She had to admit that this was her favorite kind of kiss. Sure, she loved the aggressive side of her boyfriend, but this just seemed more like _them_. And that's what she had missed most.

When they pulled away from one another, Ezra blinked down at her, his dark blue eyes practically telling her exactly what she was already knew because that was exactly how she felt about him, but they had of way of saying it without spoken words:

_I missed you._

* * *

><p><em>It was a bunch flashing flights passing by. The blue and red flickered in the glass cover of his dark blue eyes. He didn't comprehend what was going. All he felt was the cool ground beneath him with the wind blowing chills into his very core. He felt cold and he didn't know why. He didn't know where he was and he didn't know what was going on. And he wished that whoever was flashing that light in his eyes would stop. He didn't like it and he wanted the burning to stop. It hurt. It hurt <em>a lot.

_His memory was like a black hole. He couldn't remember anything that happened, just that it was something bad. He was deathly confused and he didn't know what happened. The shouting of men and women around him made his head hurt. He had a headache. Could he get some aspirin? He tried to ask but the words didn't come out of his mouth. He didn't know how to use his mouth or how to make the words that he wanted to say come out of it. His tongue was trembling. _

_All he could recollect was the fact that Aria's hand was clasping his and he could hear her crying his name in a raw voice, indicating that she was very upset about something. Why was she crying? All he wanted was to take her into his arms and make her feel better, but he couldn't seem to find the use of his fingers that were shaking and he couldn't stop them. He just wanted to go home to the condo and cuddle with her and watch old movies for the rest of the night. They were apart for so long and she was going to tell him something important after her friends left. His mind ran to think of what it could be, but when he did, it only brought pain to his aching skull. What was going on? What was he doing there? Why was he so cold? _

_He heard shouting around him and the barking of dogs that seemed too close to him for comfort. He didn't like dogs too much. He was more of a cat person. He was thinking of getting a kitten for Aria for their anniversary in a couple weeks. A cute bouncing kitten that she could have to keep her company after he left in December until the following weekend when he fly up and see her again. A kitten was a ball of cuteness that would play with yarn and swat at things that made it curious. Oh, yes, a kitten. That would be a nice gift. _

_Then again so would the engagement ring that he was going to propose to her with on the twenty-sixth of November. It wasn't enough to express his love for her, but it would make due until he would be able to get her another one. It was in his jacket in the condo. Hopefully, she wouldn't find it. He wanted it to be a surprise. The ring was a surprise just as the proposal would be, but it would be worth the smile and excitement on his girlfriend's face when she saw it._

_Now that he thought about it, he wanted his jacket._

_He was just so cold. _

_He wanted a blanket. Why wouldn't anyone give him a blanket?Or a cup of coffee? A caramel macchiato with a shot of vanilla sounded nice. He just wanted someone to make him warm again. The wind was cold and now people were putting him on something that wasn't on the ground. It felt nice but the mask over his face was not. Or the tight wrapping around him that prevented him from getting up and walking away. It was uncomfortable. He was uncomfortable. Why wouldn't they let him get up?_

_All he remembered from a few minutes before was a man. A man that he had never wanted to see again in his lifetime. Someone that had been stalking them or something of that nature and had followed him to Boston. He struggled to remember his name, but all he could recognize with the name was displaced anger from months before. The man had had dark blondish dirty hair and copper skin with tattoos and piercings. He could feel himself snarl over his baggy pants and his too tight tank shirt. _

_The man had been yelling at him for some strange reason. He had to wonder if they were in an argument and if he had done something to make the man angry, or if he had said something that offended him. Suddenly it came back to him…the gun, the barrel of the gun, black and mysterious and holding his fate in its capsule where it held the bullets. A .38 MM pistol in the man's hand that had meant to cause him harm._

_The smoke that shot from the barrel as soon as the bullets were released from their captivity. It was almost poetic…Maybe he would write about it later. Maybe Aria could help him with it. That would be nice. As soon as these strange people would shut up and get him out of such a white room. It burned his eyelids and he wanted to sleep…Sleep felt good and he just wanted to let go and sleep. Rest his head on a pillow, curl up with his girlfriend and fall asleep. That would be romantic. And everyone knew how much he loved romance. _

_That's when it hit him. The pain that was being numbed from the cold that was no longer chilling him to the core. The only warm thing he felt was the blood left on his neck and his shirt. He didn't feel anything but the pain, just as he did with feeling just the cold. He wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't it stop?_

_Now he remembered when the two bullets that had been burrowed deep in his shoulder and tore through muscle and tendons, freezing their path. It was excruciating. He had never felt anything worse in his life, not even the pain of a broken heart. This was real and so was the blood that covered the bandage over his shoulder that he was barely able to feel. The pain was just too much. He tried to block it out, but it was too hard. Why did it hurt so much? _

_He heard Aria urgent murmuring his name in his ear, "Ezra?Baby, just hold on. Just hold on baby. We're getting you help. You're going to be okay." He felt her face bury into the nape of his neck, into the curls of his hair that she forbade him to cut, no matter how much he hated them. He couldn't shut down the pain now. He had to hold on for her. For his only reason for holding on, "I promise that I won't leave your side. You're going to be okay!"_

_That's when he heard the words as he began to fade out, losing all train of his thought as his world went back to black:_

"_This man has been shot! Yes, we are right by the university right now. We'll be there in seven minutes. We are going to need a room in the CCU set up right away for when we get there! He's fading. Two shots to the shoulder. No arteries seem to have been hit, but he's lost a lot of blood. He was on the ground for at least ten minutes before his girlfriend found him just outside of the condo complex…He's going into shock….Sir! Ezra, hold on! Just hold on! We're getting you help!" There was a pause, "He's unconscious and his heart beat is going way too fast! Get the paddles!" _

_CCU? CCU was for people who seriously hurt, right? His mind didn't connect with what was going on and soon his confusion just took over. He tried to whisper, "I love you, Aria." But no sound or words came out of his mouth. It hurt him. Everything was hurting him. He wanted to tell Aria how he felt, just in case. He knew he would see her again though, so he might as well rest. He would see her when he woke up. He would be okay. He had to think that he would be okay so then he would be able to believe it._

_So, he just shut down. The pain took over. He just shut down and the world went black. His world went dark and he didn't try to get back to the real world. The real world was overrated and he needed to take a break from it. He wanted the world where he was happy with Aria back in Rosewood, with no distance between them. He would wake up soon with the new information that was still shocking him that wasn't from the electric paddles on his bare chest that had it jerk up and down: there were bullets inside of him, perhaps leaving scars and perhaps handicapping him for a while._

_He, Ezra Fitz, had been shot._

* * *

><p><strong>Ezra was shot by a person that we have already met in this story. He hit his head when he fell, so in the sequel, bits and pieces of what happened will be coming back. It was hard for me to write because I don't like the idea of seeing him being hurt, especially when Aria was so close to telling him about the baby. Speaking of the sequel, the last chapter of IKT is the next and then the sequel will be again. It may not be posted the day after the last chapter is posted. I am still working out some of the kinks in the time. <strong>

**I have realized that I have the tendency of being a bit too wordy. So, ****I am trying to use less description than I have in the past. It's hard for me because after trying to get write more detailed paragraphs after writing mainly all dialogue for my first two stories, I trained myself to use more detail and less dialogue. Now I am trying to mix the two elements together. So, please bear with me as I try to do that!**

**To my twitter friends who I give links to, please review. I love all the tweets and appreciate them, but I like all the feedback in one place. Thank you for your continued support and patience.**

**223 reviews after 16 chapters and I am so grateful for all of you. You have been UBER patient with me these past few months and I appreciate it. So, PLEASE remember to spare a few moments to review. I write for me and love to share my story, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I don't like reviews.****I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time. Please constructive criticism and no burning! Everything is taken professionally, not personally and used to help the future of this story and its sequel. Thank you in advance! **

**Thank you for all of the stellar support, everyone. Hope this was worth the wait! And stay tuned for the next and FINAL chapter of If I Knew Then. Chapter 18: I'd Fall in Love. Thank you again and see you soon!**


	18. I'd Fall in Love - Part 1

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 18**

**I'd Fall in Love - Part 1**

* * *

><p><em>If I knew then<em>

_What I know now_

_Whoa, if I knew then, what I know now_

_I'd fall in love_

* * *

><p>It wasn't anything more than a slab of checkerboard patterned glass with thick coarse lines. It was help by a large white frame that was screwed to the door. The florescent lights of the busy corridor dully lit the eyes of the petite brunette who was doing her best not to cry. She was failing, however. The salty drops of water left long trails from the corners of the hazel orbs and down her cheeks to where they dropped off the edge of her chin. More were welling up as she stood there with her arms around her quivering body, encased with a college embroidered hoodie that was much too big for her small figure. It hung from her, the sleeves too long and the bottom hem well below her waist. It was obviously not hers. It was someone else's.<p>

The someone to whom the sweatshirt belonged was a man; a lanky, awkward twenty-seven year old Caucasian male with blue eyes and curly brown hair that fell over his forehead in a wavy mess. Hr was currently residing in a bed that was not his own, not including the girlfriend he was visiting during the month of November. This bed was much smaller, hardly big enough for the six foot Pennsylvanian professor.

It was one of Massachusetts General Hospital Intensive Care Unit's.

Ezra was covered with nothing but a navy gown, clinging to his body loosely. A breathing tube covered his pale lips and the bridge of his nose, his diaphragm moving up and down slowly. Two IV drops ran from his right and left arms. Part of the gown was lowered to reveal even more wires connected to measure his heartbeat, the monitor facing the woman outside the door so she could watch the somewhat irregular beats from within his chest. On the right side of his body, she could see where the wound was located. Heavy, clean bandages wrapped around it. The nurse had come in and changed them just twenty minutes before to keep the two grotesques bullet holes clean.

What had worried both his girlfriend and the paramedics was the amount of blood that he'd lost in the conditions he'd been in. He had been in twenty-two degree weather, a record low for Boston this time of the year, and in a wind chill of eight degrees. He'd lost two and a half pints of his body's blood supply and was in the beginning stages of Hypovolemic shock. For a moment, his heart did fully stop before the paramedics were able to get the reviving electric paddles out to get it going somewhat regularly again. After less than ten minutes in the back of an ambulance, he was admitted into Massachusetts General Hospital at 9:23 PM on Thursday, November 1st. He received two blood transfusions immediately after arriving at the Intensive Care Unit. Around midnight, the surgeons were able to get the two bullets from his right shoulder; one had been fatally close to a major artery, just barely missing it by less than a millimeter. The doctors kept on saying, "This young man is very lucky to be alive."

He'd been unconscious for two full days. He passed out due to the trauma of being faced with the barrel of the gun and also from the concussion he received when he fell and hit the right side of his head on the freezing Boston ground. Another bandage covered the large bruise and cut. Due to the injury, Ezra may not be able to remember what exactly happened, much to the law enforcement and media's dismay. There was also a possibility of bruised or broken ribs from the amount of purple and blue along his right side, but the surgeons who took out the bullets the night Ezra was brought in told the other physicians not to X-ray the torso until after the unconscious patient stirred.

All of Ezra's family had been notified already, from instruction of Aria, who was able to retrieve his phone from the pocket of his blue jeans in her condo. Dianne was staying at a hotel near the airport along with Kenneth, Natalie, and little three year old Emma. They had flown up from Phileldelphia Friday morning after Aria delivered the news to them around midnight that night once Ezra was in the ICU, stabilized after the surgery to remove the bullets and Dianne had driven down from her home in Manhattan. Aria had not officially met Dianne yet and it terrified her to be introduced to the future grandmother of her child as well as her future mother-in-law in such tragic circumstances. So far, the two women who loved Ezra the most had not yet crossed paths. She always made herself in a different location of the hospital where her boyfriend's mother was, but she knew that once the patient awoke, they would have to finally meet. The hospital wasn't _that _big.

She had made another call to a person in her own address book, but after she realized that her boyfriend had not seen that person for the past fifteen years of his life, she hung up when they answered. She was afraid that it would create a rise from Ezra once he woke up. And that was something that he did not need on top of this entire mess. Instead, she texted his childhood friend from her phone, Laura, to give her updates on Ezra's progress. She had not been able to go up to see her friend because she had to work and couldn't change shifts with anyone, but as soon as she was able to, she would try and catch a flight to see him.

Haley and Katrin were the first two to show at the hospital at one in the morning and being her only friends in Boston, it comforted her to know that they were for her in a time of desperate support. Haley kept on the conversation with sexual comments about Ezra to keep the mood light and Katrin made sure that she had enough food in her belly and coffee in her bloodstream to keep both her and the baby relaxed and energized. Mr. Marino was no exemption from her support group that first day. Nicky had brought them coffee from their favorite bakery two blocks down from campus. He didn't stay long because of scheduling conflicts with his teacher's assistant, but was there long enough to give Aria a hug and promise that he would return that evening and not leave until Ezra came around to consciousness unless it was for food or coffee. He made good on his promise.

Hollis College was also called by about what happened to Ezra and she had received multiple calls from her father. Apparently, he had not been told that his colleague, not to mention friend, was even in Boston. Last thing he heard was that he was going to see his long-distance girlfriend in a different state for the following four weeks. Once he heard that he was at Massachusetts General, he started to connect the dots. When Aria texted her mom about what happened, Ella alerted her that Byron was pissed because he knew. He knew that he had been lied to since the previous November what was really going on between the two of them. She managed to avoid his calls and texts, giving occasional news to her mother. She knew that she would to eventually tell her father the truth, but right now, her main concern was Ezra.

Aria couldn't bear to look at her boyfriend like that anymore. He looked so helpless and vunerable just lying there with tubes and wires all around him. She wasn't allowed to go behind that door until he woke up and she couldn't stand being so close to him yet so far away, separated from a single slate of thick glass. It was torturing her to just stand there and watch him, unconscious and barely breathing. All she wanted to do was curl up beside him, hold his hand, and tell him that everything was okay, comforting him with her presence. Or more like him comforting her with his. But she had to wait for God knew how long until the pain killers wore off from the surgery and his body adjusted to the new ones.

She knew that this was her fault, just as everything else was. If he hadn't been in Boston because she didn't take that job, they would laying in bed back at their apartment in Rosewood, picking out names for their child and coming up with ideas to get the money for all the expenditures that came with raising a newborn. Ezra wouldn't be lying in that bed behind that door in that hospital in that city because he would have been far from the gunman who put him there. They would all be safe and not on the edge of death.

She went over to the opposite wall of the hospital room and slid down into a sitting position, her short legs extended in front of her. Instinctively, her hands went to envelope over the bump that was raised on her abdomen, finding a sense of peace as she remembered the real connection she had to Ezra: _their baby_. She knew it wasn't good to be stressing out like this when she was barely two months pregnant and after a couple moments of unwinding and relaxation, she finally was able to untense her wiry shoulders and bring her knees to her chest. The best thing that she could do for both her and her child was to wait for her boyfriend and _their daddy_ to wake up and see those loving cobalt eyes again.

Aria felt her lips pull up at the corners at the word _daddy_ and she clung to her knees even tighter than she already was, tears spilling over the edges. She knew that he was going to be an amazing father, a doting one who was overly protective to shield them from the outside world while they were so tiny and defenseless. She could already see them the day that their child was born. After hours of being in labor and clenching Ezra's hand to the extent to where it needed to be amputated, there was a tiny human being wrapped in a coarse pink blanket. A newborn infant blinking up at them with round, smoky eyes, indigo diamonds glinting in the luminous light of the hospital room, eying her parents for the first time before falling back into a slumber.

It was crazy to think that that was only months away.

_And her child's father was still not aware that she was having his baby. _

The young woman rested her head against the wall behind her and closed the eyelids that hid two almond-grey orbs and fell in a regular pattern of deep breathing. Ezra had demanded that she told him what was really wrong with her and what she was lying to him constantly about. They had just been lying around the apartment watching old movies when Ezra decided to go pick up some Thai food six blocks up the street. She offered to go with him, but since he was the one who imposed on her with no warning, he refused to let her go into the freezing weather that awaited his fate outside. That was the last time she saw him upright, giving her a lingering kiss on the lips, calling out an _I love you _before shutting the front door of the condo behind him…

* * *

><p><em><strong>November 1st. Two days earlier…<strong>_

"_Ezra! Stop it!" Aria screamed as she fought the urge of giggling, slowly losing the battle. She shoved herself to the other side of the leather sofa, distancing herself from Ezra. The curly brown-haired man kept coming at her stomach with curled fingers in an attempt to tickle her, his grin wide across his face. She missed seeing that loving gaze glowing at her from burning cobalt lava, drowning her in their flames. She laughed uncontrollably as his touch dug into her sides, hitting her weakness right above both of her hips. _

_He shook his head as his smile widened and met her lips to hush her pleading. His fingers continued to tickle her and her sounds of snorting fell into the back of his throat, refusing to let her separate herself from him. She felt his own cackle against her mouth as she knew that he was just as content as she was just being together for the first time since August. And if that meant that Ezra was going to make her laugh until her sides hurt, then so be it. They had the next four weeks together. They might as well enjoy it. _

_Her sides began to hurt from his touch as well as from laughing so hard. Her hands, rolled up into fists, pressed against his chest to shove him away from playfully and her barefoot feet met his stomach to make him stop, but she didn't make him falter once. He kept coming and coming, his fingers curled like hooks to hit her tickle spot. She screamed for him to quit, but a part of her didn't want him to stop and he knew her to well. She was enjoying being there on the couch, fighting his hasty fingers away from her stomach. They were in such a sense of enjoyment, they wouldn't have spent their first evening together in two months any another way. _

_About two minutes later, his hands finally ran out of the motivation and ceased the plowing of her sides and he pulled away from her, that same smirk on his face. He settled against the armrest on the other side of the leather couch. He gestured for her to come over to him and into his arms. She obliged and crawled into his embrace, leaning her back against his chest, feeling his lips in her hair, kissing each individual strand. He grabbed his old quilt from his apartment that he had given to her off the floor and threw it over them. _

_She gazed up at him with those large hazel orbs blinking up at him. Ezra caught Aria staring at him and he met it with his own. She saw her reflection in the sapphire depths and she grinned, reaching up to tuck a loose lock of his curls back into place, her hand brushing his scruffy cheek. He leaned into her palm, his face completely relaxed and at ease. These were the little moments that she loved about being with this man. He wasn't all about the physical, even though she knew that he enjoyed that as well. He was very much about the emotional part as well and that was something that she had never had with her previous boyfriends. He was capable of being still and just being there with her, cuddled up on the sofa with a blanket covering them to keep them warm._

_She heard him murmur, "I love you," against the back of her head, his breathing soothing her and his fingers making a pattern on the top of her hand. He took a gulp of air before continuing, "This is what I've missed, Aria. Being able to touch you, feeling your heartbeat against mine and hearing you breathe in a regular pattern." He sighed, "I just wish I could express how much I love you in words, but I would be searching for them for years and years to come. The truth is that I can't express my feelings because there is no way to describe them." _

_He met her gaze again, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead before carrying on with his declaration of love for the petite brunette wrapped up tightly in her arms, "After our first night together after that date in Philly and my punching Hayden in the face," He tensed at Hayden's name and she squeezed his hand, "I knew that whatever it was between us that kept drawing me back to you, no matter what anyone said, that it was for keeps. I thought as I was falling asleep with you in my arms that this-that _we- _is what I wanted and that you were my destiny. The one that I was always meant to be with." _

_With tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, she leaned up and kissed him, having no way to respond to that other than this kind of embrace. Every time these two's lips meant, something sparked between them. A flame was lighting the passion that kept drawing them together and they both knew that no matter where life led them, they would always be together. It didn't matter where they were or whether they were in the same physical place at the same time, their fate was one another and Aria wouldn't have it any other way._

_A few moments later, when they separated reluctantly from each other, some lipstick had left a trail on his mouth and he tried to wipe it away with the back of his hand, but that action only made it smear. Aria laughed, much to her boyfriend's demise, "Here, I've got it." She licked the tab of her thumb to rub it off slowly. Their gazes immediately locked as she tried to get all of it off of his cheek. And for a second, they were caught up in one another's stares. _

"_So when are you going to tell me what Haley meant this morning by congratulating me."_

"_I guess I forgot about you asking about that…"_

"_Well, I didn't. I am still waiting for a straight answer."_

_She cringed at the tone of impatience in his voice and pulled away from him so she could look at him straight in the eyes, "Do you really want to know?"_

_He nodded and his facial expression tightened for a moment in an emotion that represented frustration mixed with worry, "Is there a reason why you are so hesitant to tell me? I mean, I figured that we've been apart for so long that it may be a bit awkward for a while when I got on that airplane in Philly last night, but after today and being as intimate as we were, getting back into our old groove, I don't see any reason for you not to tell me what's really going on with you."_

_Aria took a deep breath and under the shield of the blanket, the hand that wasn't clasping Ezra's ran over the tiny bump that was raised on her abdomen. She knew that it was finally time to tell him the truth. Fear encased each drop of blood in her body and looked up at him, tears threatening to overflow. Her boyfriend watched her every move, his hand squeezing hers as if to comfort her, even though he didn't know what he was comforting her for exactly. _

"_The truth is that the night before I left is when-"She had just opened in her mouth when both of their stomachs chose to begin to rumble deeply within their cores. She sent up a prayer of thanks as she relaxed her shoulders, knowing that he would want to have a full stomach before knowing the truth. It would put both of their nerves on ease and make it easier on him to receive this troubling secret that had been haunting Aria since mid-October._

"_Well, shit. I forgot that we have hardly eaten anything today," Ezra glanced at the clock in the kitchen and ran his hand through his hair, his eyebrows furrowed in contemplation, "It's getting close to 9:00 and there is nearly no food in this place. Is there anywhere where I can go and pick something up to eat at this time? Or anywhere somewhat appetizing to get some takeout food from before we both desiccate into nothingness?" _

_She giggled at his comment and responded after thinking for a moment, "There's a Thai takeout about six blocks up the street on the edge of campus."_

_He stood and went to take his jacket off the coat hanger near the front door of the condo and slipping it on in one fluid movement, "I guess I'll run there and get our usuals. And when I get back and we have food in our stomachs, I want you to finish telling me the truth about what is going on."_

"_What do you 'when you get back'? I'm going with you of course!" Aria exclaimed as she went to join him by the entrance. Before she could take her jacket from the hanger as well, he shoved her hand gently away from it. She looked up at him with contempt in her eyes, "Ezra..."_

_He shook his head as if she had no choice in the matter, which in his view, she didn't, "Ar, it's below forty degrees outside. You'll freeze and I'll have to listen to your complaining all the way there and then all the way back. Besides, I'll be right back and since I'm the one imposing on you with no warning, I am going to make sure that we have food to eat. It'll take me all but ten minutes to run from here and back." As he watched his girlfriend begin to pout, he smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist to press it against his. He kissed the tip of her nose, murmuring, "Just wait here. I'll be back with food for the two of us soon enough and then we can talk about what's going on with you, okay?" _

_She sighed, but obliged and gave him a quick peck on the lips before releasing herself from his grasp around her body. Just when she was turning around to go back to the couch to await his return, he tugged her back and pressed his mouth softly against hers, his tongue begging for entrance past her teeth. She wouldn't allow it and after a few seconds, they pulled away reluctantly and he grinned, blinking back at her with those big eyes, "Now that's how you give a proper goodbye." He kissed her forehead and as he was exiting the condo, he called out, "I love you! I'll be right back!"_

"_I love you, too!" She responded loudly as he shut the door loudly behind him. _

_It wasn't too long after Ezra left the loft when Aria heard two popping noises that rung from outside. They sounded like gunshots and she brought her knees to her chest in a sense of fear. She hoped that Ezra would be home soon. She didn't like being alone in this condo all alone, especially at night. Sure, she had Haley down the hall to keep her company when she was scared, but she was terrified because Boston wasn't too shy when it came to murders and armed robberies, especially by the Charles River where bodies could easily be exposed of. _

_It was more than ten minutes after the pop sounds sounded throughout the night sky and twelve since her boyfriend left when she started to get worried. He said that he would be back in ten minutes and he still wasn't back. She tried to call his cell, but it was off. He probably never turned it back on after the flight up from Philly. She decided to go outside and check out, slipping on Ezra's Hollis hoodie that she kept in the coat closet and a pair of gloves. She made sure she had her key with her and exited her temporary home and was immediately hit with the chill of the November Boston evening. She flipped the hood over her head to shield her face and shoved her gloved hands into the front pocket. _

_Ezra was nowhere to be seen as she made her way down the three flights of outside stairs and she up and down the almost vacant block. He must have gone on foot like the idiot he was and didn't take the practically new Dodge Avenger to pick up the food. It was still parked across the street in a standstill parallel direction. She shook her head in amusement until her heart stopped. When she turned to the left for the first time, there was something in the middle of the sidewalk near the curb of the four way street near a street lamp. Or more like _someone_. That was in the route of the Thai takeout. _

_Aria rushed over to the fallen person, fearing the worst. A feeling in her gut told her that she already knew what happened. Those popping sounds had been ones of a gun that had rang out just moments after Ezra had left her in the condo. Her heart was racing a mile a second as she drew nearer to them. She was near their feet when she was finally able to make out the person's face in the light of the dim lantern. _

_There, pale white and covered with a mess of wet dark brown curls, was an appearance she knew all too well. It was soaked with sweat despite the fact that it was thirty degrees outside and he was trembling with the cold. The right side of his body was soaked with dark crimson blood, leaving a grand puddle around him. His head was bleeding as well from a wound hidden underneath his hair. He clenched his wound on his shoulder and fought to make a sound that never came out past his lips. He was gasping for breath like a dying fish, his legs squirming like he was trying to find his way back onto his feet. _

_Shaking with no idea how to stop, she knelt down. She could hear the man beginning to gurgle as he struggled for air, his eyes darting around and his chest rising up and down rapidly. When he seemed to recognize her face, he struggled to say a word. It was choked with blood and saliva, but knowing him as well as she did, she could hear the word, "Aria", through the liquids in the depths of his throat. Before she could even respond, his eyelids closed and hid those beautiful cobalt eyes from her sight._

_It was Ezra._

* * *

><p>Someone touched Aria's shoulder and she jerked awake from her nightmare. She must have drifted off. After all, she hadn't slept in two days and she guessed that her last 5 Hour Energy mixed with Monster wore off and she was left on the ICU floor, wondering what was going on and how much time had passed. She glanced at a nearby clock and saw that it was almost 6:00 in the evening. It had been more than three hours since she had fallen asleep. She struggled to push herself into a standing position, but her arms were still dozing and she soon slumped down back against the wall. She sighed in defeat and rubbed her eyes of exhaustion.<p>

She looked over to see who woke her up and was not very surprised to see Nicky standing above her with his dark olive eyes blinking back at her. She fought to stand up once more just as she had tried to do moments before, but he stopped her with another touch to her shoulder, kneeling down beside her, "No, no. You stay there."

She obliged to his request and he relaxed next into a place close to her, handing her a cup of coffee. She looked at it blankly, as if she had no idea what to do with it. The Italian chuckled and bumped her affectionately, "You fell asleep a little bit ago. Ezra's nurse wanted to wake you up and have one of the girls take you home or stay with his brother at the hotel so you could rest, but I told her no and just let you sleep there. I know what you would have done you had woken up anywhere away from him."

"Has there been any change?" Aria asked as she took the coffee from him graciously, taking a few sips of the hot liquid.

Nicky nodded and took a swig from his own cup, "He finally came around to consciousness and then faded back into that same deep trance because of the change in the pain killer meds. He's breathing pretty well on his own now, so they took the mark away; although they're monitoring it in case there is any change. His heartbeat has finally gone back down to its standard rate. Or so his brother told Katrin and Haley. He is recovering, though. That's what counts." He pursed his lips and glanced over at her, "He also said your name, like he wanted to see you when he woke up. The doctor said that later tonight, since he's stable, they'll be moving him to a different room in the regular care wing. His body is healing normally and once he wakes up and recuperates, his physicians are going to X-ray his ribs and make sure nothing is broken. They said if things go as planned, he could be out of the hospital as soon as twelve days."

She responded with a curt nod before playing with the plastic diamond ring on her left hand, remembering the day that her boyfriend had given it to her, "I just feel so guilty."

He lifted an eyebrow at her in surprise at her statement, "Aria, you have nothing to feel guilty for. It's not your fault that Ezra's in the hospital. Were you the one who shot him twice and left him in the freezing weather? I don't think so."

She pushed herself up to her feet and walked over to the room door, peering through the glass. He was breathing normally on his own, just as Nicky had said. The heart monitor also looked like it was going in a regular pace. Some major progress had been made while she was asleep. It looked like he was dreaming just as she had been. She couldn't help but wipe the few stray tears from her face as they began to fall again, "How is it not my fault, Nick? If it wasn't for me taking this job and him coming up to see me with no warning at all, he wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."

She turned to face him and he was rising from his place on the floor, his movements slow and not wanting to spook her. He held his palms out, "Aria..."

"Don't do this again! I told you before: don't try and comfort me like he would! I told you before that you're not him." She started pacing back and forth, leaving Nicky looking like he had seen a ghost," But you know what? He can't console me right now because he's barely conscious in a hospital bed with two gunshots in his head, broken ribs, and a concussion!" She dug her fingernails into her scalp as if she wanted to pull her long, brunette locks right out of her head, "And that man in there was going to be told that he was going to be a father! You do realize that, right? I was just about to tell him when he decided to go get some Thai takeout six blocks down the street. I was finally making myself tell the father of my child that I was pregnant. Then he got shot and now I _can't _tell him because I almost lost him!"

"This isn't good for the baby, Aria. You need to take a breath and calm down."

"Would you please shut the hell up? God, you think that you're so hot and that everyone loves you. And maybe they do, but you don't need to act like this ass of a goddamn pretty boy all the time and flaunt your money for attention like with all of the weekly parties! This isn't _The Great Gatsby_."

She punched his chest as he tried to wrap her up to restrain her from pacing, "Stop it! I don't want to be _fixed _unless the one holding the hammer to the nail is my boyfriend, in which you are not! You may think you're perfect, but let me tell you something, sir, you are nowhere near to the perfection that you think you posses with the charm and the compliments that you always seem to say when we're in the same room." Tears spilled over in a waterfall down her face, smearing her half-ruined makeup where previous salt water had already reached, "Stop trying to reassure me that everything is going to be okay because no one can do that but Ezra and he's half-dead, connected to tubes and wires right now!"

Next thing she knew, Nicky had her wrapped in a tight hug, trying to soothe her as she wept into his button down maroon shirt, her arms coming up and around him. She choked on sobs, practically howling in grief, "I just feel so guilty, Nicky. It's all my fault. All of this…it's all my fault…"

"No it's not, Ar. It's so far from being your burden to bear." He murmured, rocking her back and forth, trying to get her to quiet down. The hospital wasn't very busy, but in the ICU, there were patients trying to rest and her constant loud baying was not exactly contributing to their recoveries, "Ezra is recovering. When he's awake in a little while, you can go in and see him and never leave his side. He wants to see you. And until then, you have me, Katrin, Haley, and his family to lean on. Especially me." He paused a moment before kissing her temple, continuing, "I know I can never cross that line into boyfriend territory that he patrols with an iron fist, but until he opens up his eyes, I will be here, holding your hand and waiting along with you."

After a few minutes of him just holding her, Aria was finally able to pull away from him after giving him a squeeze in a gesture of thanks. She looked up at him and ruffled his ungelled hair. His eyes spewed a fire of friendliness and although his shirt was now stained with ruined makeup, he still looked nearly perfect, "Thanks, Nicky." She sighed and wiped her face with both palms of her hands in a way to clean the dried tears from her face, "I'm sorry for all the things I said to you a few minutes ago."

He shrugged, handing her a tissue, which she took graciously and wiped the snot from below her nose and dried tears from her eyes, "My ex-wife called me a lot worse before our divorce. Your insults are compliments compared to hers."

"From what I hear, she seems like a _joy _to be around." Aria giggled, leaning against Ezra's doorframe. She glanced into the room as if it was an instinct to her. Once she realized that no change had occurred in his breathing, she turned back to look at Nicky.

He smirked at her comment in a rather unusual hesitant fashion, "Well, after the split and our son being sick, her filter was just off." His olive gaze went distant again, just as it always did when he talked about his ex-wife, or some other secret that he was hiding from the ears and eyes of the world, "I can't really say I blame her for it. It was mostly my fault anyway, the end of our relationship, I mean."

She nodded, "I see…What caused the divorce? If you don't mind me asking, of course." She had heard stories about Nicky and his ex-wife around the faculty during mixers and meetings; some about him cheating or her cheating or their son was dying of an unusual form of melanoma. She refused to believe any of them until she heard the real reason come from the Italian himself.

In a rather hesitant fashion, Nicky shoved his hands into his jean pockets and leaned against the wall, "It's not really a secret, but to some people, it could be looked at that way. I don't mind telling friends what really happened. What ended my relationship with Isabel was that I made a series of awful decisions in the six and a half years I was married to her. We wedded for the wrong reasons right out college and it was surrounded by a lie that I'd been living my entire life. When I finally came clean, _or she caught me coming clean_, she filed almost immediately for divorce. Our s-son-" His throat choked up and he wiped his eyes of the tears beginning to brew and Aria took his hand and gave it a squeeze in a gesture of reassurance, "Excuse me. It's still hard for me to talk about. And besides, you don't really want to hear all about my problems when your own are behind a hospital door in the ICU at the moment."

She shook her head, "It's fine, Nicky. I want to know and besides, I need something to distract me from the harsh realities of life at the moment."

He took a deep, shaky breath, "My son, Luka, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at a regular checkup in that following March. He was barely two years old, hardly walking and was just learning how to have conversations with people with a simple vocabulary. By that time, the papers had already been filed and due to the conditions of the situation surrounding the divorce, I was restricted of seeing him. She got full custody of him. Isabel moved to Maine to where there was a specific treatment center for his type of cancer. The last time I heard, he was in remission. His fourth birthday is coming up in January, but of course, I'm not allowed to go see him unless I am able to convince his mother and her new husband otherwise."

His jaw tightened, a single tear making its way down the copper skin of his right cheek as he forced himself to inform her about some of the most private parts of his life, "As a husband, I understood what I had done wrong. I did my best to make it as easy as possible for Isabel to terminate the marriage. But when it came to Luka, I fought for that little boy. I love him more than anything else on the planet and when the court ruled in his mother's favor, I wept. He hasn't seen me since his fifth chemo treatment in that April and then the papers came and I had to say goodbye to him. Luka probably doesn't even remember me, but Aria, I remember everything about him."

Nicky took his wallet out of his back pocket and took a photo out gently with his fingers. He ran his thumb over it before turning it over to reveal it to her. There was a bubbly dark-skinned and hair toddler with thick jet black hair. He looked like a mini-version of his father, who was beaming beside him. It looked like they were at a baseball game at Fenway Park, "That's my boy, Luka Giovanni Marino. This picture was taken on his second birthday. I took him to the Red Sox game with my dad. He's the one who took the picture."

"All of you Italians look identical." She giggled, "He sure is a cutie, Nick."

He grinned and wiped the tears away from his face, "The day he was born was the day my life had finally found meaning and I soon learnt that I was a better father than I was a husband. I took him to work with me at least four times a week and when he learned how to run, he would run all around my lecture hall. That boy was adventurous before he got sick and even then, he tried his very hardest to climb to the top of my bed when he was visiting me one of those few times."

Aria stood there silently, taking in all of the information for a moment before entangling her arms around Nicky and feeling his reciprocate the same action. Now she had a general idea of why he had been so determined to make sure that her baby, who lied growing in her womb, was well taken care of and that Ezra was told as soon as possible. As an estranged father himself, he knew what it was like to not know how his child was. He obviously still cared very deeply for Luka, his three year old son who was going without his birth dad. She knew that Ezra could relate as well. He hadn't seen his father in fifteen years and though he doesn't seem to let that get to him, Aria knew that he wanted him in his life.

After holding Nicky for a moment or so, she pulled away and he gazed down at her with an unbeknoweth emotion within the emerald depths of his green eyes, sparkling back into her hazel ones, "Thank you, Aria. You're a great friend to me. I'm glad the universe decided to throw us together as if we were a mixed Caesar salad."

"Well that's one way to put it. I'm pretty content about that as well." She grinned up at him, but it faltered when his thumb came up to caress her face and leaned in close to her, his other hand coming behind to grip the small of her back, pulling her close to him. She gulped deeply, feeling extremely uncomfortable, "Nicky, don't-" Before she could even realize what was going on, his mouth swooped against hers harshly, his left hand at the back of her neck as if to keep her there.

With rage boiling in her veins, she shoved him backwards into the wall. She wiped her mouth in revulsion. The kiss that some part of her would have been hoping for if not in such a committed relationship with Ezra had nothing. It felt like kissing a cardboard box and tasting the inedible material. And when he came near to her again, she didn't hesitate to slap him across the face, one of her nails leaving a long pink scratch on his cheek, welling up blood almost immediately, "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Nicky touched his wounded cheek in dismay, his eyes wild with confusion, although she had no idea why _he _would be the one who was confused, "I just-I didn't mean to. It just seemed like I could feel-"

"That you could _feel _what? Feel that maybe we have some sort of _freaky chemistry _that you've been trying to develop since we met in September? Is this what you've been trying to pull since we met, Nicky? Did you plan Ezra being shot to get him out of the way so I would turn to you for support and then you could swoop me up into your arms and take me away to your mansion at the vineyard? How about all the times that you brought me coffee and made sure I went to Isabel's gynecologist?" Aria's hand came to touch the base of her abdomen where the tiny bump lied there, "Do you wish that this baby was yours? Did you think that you could be a _step-father_ to my son or daughter after their father died from two gunshot wounds?"

"No! Let me explain!" Nicky pleaded with her, moving close to her only to see her pull away from him. He took and a deep breath, beginning to stammer, "Aria, there are things that you don't know about me. I have a lot I haven't even told my family. I'm not who you think I am." He swallowed, "Aria, please understand that I didn't mean for this to happen. I just thought that maybe you could or would help me change things for me, but I know now that it was wrong to force myself on you and give you no warning. I should have told you, but please understand that I am so sorry and I hope-"

"Just leave, Nicholas." The extent of his entire first name stung her throat as it fell from her lips, but she stood her ground, not meeting his gaze and looking into Ezra's room, her arms coming across her chest, "I don't need you here. Like you said before I have enough people for support and plus, Ezra will be waking up soon. And I will be telling him about this as soon as he can handle it. So, expect to be getting your ass kicked sometime soon. " She wiped her eyes to keep them from brewing up with tears, "Thanks for taking advantage of me, my vunerable state, and my pregnancy hormones. Don't expect me to be seeing or calling you anytime soon. I think it'd be best to just get not talk anymore."

He took on an angry set to his jaw, his olive green eyes intensifying with sorrow and disappointment, "So you're not even going to hear me out? I know I shouldn't have kissed you, but I don't want to lose the friendship that we have together. I'm so sorry about how things turned out today and I want to make everything between us right again."

"Will you just make it easier on both of us and leave before I call security?"

"Is there a problem here?"

An unknown masculine voice sounded to Aria's right and she turned to see a man looking at her and Nicky with curiosity in his icy sapphire eyes behind thick, black square glasses. He wore a simple red and brown flannel with a raggedy jeans hanging loosely from his body. His shady squat russet curls were hidden underneath a Red Sox baseball hat, a thin short boxed beard extending on the lower half of his face with the mustache part of it that grazed his upper lip. He was tall, around Kenneth and Ezra's heights. He resembled them greatly, apart from the calluses on the palms of his hands, evidence of a hardworking man. He was lanky with a muscular build to his upper-body. His skin was a light copper from working in the sun.

"No, I was just leaving." Nicky responded glumly, pressing a tissue to his cheek. He glanced over at Aria, who was still evading his gaze, "Send Ezra my best when he wakes up, Aria." He hurriedly walked toward the nearest exit that wasn't through the waiting room and disappeared from their sights when he turned the corner, ultimately leaving the two strangers behind in the corridor.

The man turned to her, obviously looking for a real answer to his question, "Are you going to give me a response like him, or actually answer my question?" His voice had a bit of a Southern drawl to it; perhaps he was from North or South Carolina, "If my generation talked as yours does to your elders, I would have been hit with a switch and then a belt multiple times. Then again that fear never really stopped me. I got beatings when I mouthed off to my grandfather and he got me so horrifically, I couldn't walk right for a month." He chuckled, but faltered when Aria didn't respond. He swallowed deeply and shoved his hands into the denim pockets of his pants, peering at her with those chilly indigo eyes, "So, what was all that about? I came around the corner there and saw him force himself onto you."

"I guess I gave him the impression that I liked him that way." She gazed at him, knowing that she knew him from somewhere.

"Whatever the case, I think he got another that you don't." He smirked. There it was. The feeling of knowing this guy dawned on her yet again. His boyish grin resembled Ezra's immensely, "Anyway, sweetheart, is Ezra Fitz in this room here?" He gestured to the door where Ezra's room was located, "I was told by some nurse named Florence that he was on this side of the ICU. I also heard that they're going to be moving him to the regular wing of the hospital."

"Yes, I heard that as well…I'm sorry, sir. Do I know you from somewhere?"

His hand shot out and clasped hers in a firm handshake, "Excuse me. I'm being rude. The name's William. But everyone just calls me Bill." He peered at her with that twinkle of probing curiosity, "And you're Aria, I presume? I've been meaning to meet you. I've heard a lot about you and your relationship with my son. Like how you two have lived apart twice now and you're both professors. Wow, one of my sons is a doctor and the other is a professor. I am goddamn proud of them." He shook his head in disbelief, "Ezra was always such a bookworm when he was a kid, like me. I wanted the best for him and not follow my path. Now he seems to be getting in the same trouble as I did when I was about his age, except at the time, I was on the other side of the gun."

Her heart froze for a moment. Before she left for Boston in August, Aria had spent a lot of the time searching the internet for Ezra's dad, knowing that deep within his heart, he wanted to see him again. She had gotten all the information she could from Ancestry and the Yellow Pages about any Fitz's that were living in the Midwest. She used the address from his last known location from an old birthday card envelope, which was somewhere in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He wasn't easy to track down but after a faithful five days, her like FBI skills were able to get his phone number and email. She never told Ezra, knowing that he would be spewing embers of fury once he found out that she had gone behind his back.

"You're William Fitz?"

He nodded in response but before he could even open his mouth, a dark-haired and light-green eyed nurse made her way down the corridor from the other door that led to Ezra's hospital room when she saw the two of them standing there. She turned to Aria, "Your boyfriend seems to be coming around and adjusting to the new meds. I just cleaned his bandages and he is murmuring your name again. It's alright for you to see him now. I think he'd like that. I'll alert his family after he's up and atom. He only seems to want to see you at the moment."

She recognized the seemingly medium-sized girl as her neighbor at the condos. Florence lived a couple floors above her, but she'd seen her in the elevator to go down to the lobby at the front of the building, on her way to work on the seven to eleven shifts as a paid intern at MGH through the university. She was a sweet girl and when she learned that she was treating Ezra, she made sure that Aria was taken care of well.

Florence smiled at her and gently said, "Well, whenever you're ready…" She disappeared into the room after that, closing the door quietly behind her.

Aria and Bill exchanged a glance and he shrugged, signaling for her to go into the room, "The boy hasn't seen me for almost two decades and I think him seeing me after recovering from two gunshot wounds, it'll send him into shock again. I can wait for a couple days to see him. Besides, I need to get out of here before Kenneth and Dianne see me. I didn't want to come originally because I didn't want to impose on my grown son's life, but then again I was the first person to hold the kid when he was born. So, I thought I would drop by and be a father and check in for the first time since he was barely twelve years old."

She couldn't help but ask, "Then why were you away for so long?"

"Let's just say that I made a choice that was right one and looked at the completely opposite way. My ex-wife doesn't see it like that. She was embarrassed after what happened and wanted what was best for our sons. And that meant that I was out of the picture. So, I took off and did what I had to do to pay for what I did. I never stopped caring about them, though. You'll hear a lot about me, sweetheart, but let me reassure you that it's not the full story. No one has ever heard mine before and it's time that I come forward with it."

He lifted his hat off his head, revealing a somewhat of a receding hairline to brush back some of his hair through his wiry fingers, "I want to be part of their lives and although I figured out a long time ago that they can manage without me, I think they need me around as much as I need them. I miss my boys. Besides, I have a daughter-in-law and a grandchild now; a granddaughter at that. Hell, I'm glad we finally have some more estrogen in the family. My own parents only seemed to have boys and up the family tree, it was the same thing." He thought for a moment before continuing with a smirk gracing his lips, "I want to get to know little Emma. I've missed out on three years of her life already and I don't plan on missing anymore of it. "

She didn't really know what to say. In all her time around Ezra, she never really understood why his dad took off so quickly and never brought herself to ask. It upset him enough and if he didn't want to indulge her in the past drama of his family, she didn't really blame him. After hearing what Bill said about his past with guns and doing what was right, she had to wonder if he was involved with some sort of scheme that got him into trouble with law enforcement…

Bill must have sensed that she didn't have a response for him so he just sighed blissfully and held the door to Ezra's room open for her, "This conversation can be made another day." He jerked his head toward the open entrance, "Go and see my kid in there. I can see that you really care for him." He paused, "I think it was Milan Kundera who once said, _"Two people in love, alone, isolated from the world, that's beautiful_."" He looked at Aria up and down, "Now get in there and make my boy happy. I hear from many people about what you've done to make him the biggest fool in love on the planet."

Aria didn't have to be told twice. She wanted nothing to curl up beside her boyfriend and fall asleep with him in that single bed, her fingers interlaced with his in a heap of entangled skin. She bid farewell to Bill, "It was nice to finally be meeting you, Mr. Fitz."

He rolled his eyes with a cringe to his facial expression, "Mr. Fitz was my father, Aria. Please just call me Bill and spare me the humiliation of calling me by my last name. Actually, you can call me anything at all as long as you don't call me _that_." He just shook his head at her with a smirk, "I'll be seeing you in a couple days when things calm down and I don't kill my son from shock." He shook her hand once more and waited patiently for her to go hesitantly into the hospital room. He shut the door behind her and when she turned around, he was gone as if he had never been standing right outside the entrance.

She took a deep breath and turned her attention back to her boyfriend. Her eyes immediately locked on Ezra's face. He was still asleep, but at least he was breathing on his own and was on enough pain killers to keep away the soreness and keep his wounds numb. She sat in the chair beside the bed and took his bandaged grasp into her own, making tiny circles on the top of his hand. She watched the movements in his expression, waiting for him to come out of his dreams. She noticed some bruising on his arm from the impact he took when he hit the ground after he was shot. His bandages were clean, just as Florence had said and his physicians must have determined without an x-ray that he had broken ribs and he was now wearing a brace around his torso.

That was when Aria saw Ezra's lips slowly moving, trying to remember how to form words. His eyes were struggling to flicker open and he sighed with a gentle grin falling upon his mouth. He murmured with a narrowed brow, attempting to say what was on. He struggled with breathe, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He tried to force a word from his throat that only caused him to scrape him like a thorn, wasting built-up strength and soon falling back into a deep slumber.

Feeling a little disappointed, Aria turned her face away, tears rolling down her face, resting her head against the back of the chair she was sitting in, keeping a tender grip on his hand. She curled up with her knees to her chest and watched as he slept, his breathing soothing her as if it were _Happiness. _She knew if she was near him, she would keep calm and she would act in a way to comfort him. She rubbed his cheek with her other palm, fondling over his hair as she fought off the overwhelming sense of tears, feeling them prick at the corners of her eyes. She choked through the knot in her brachia, "It's okay, baby. I understand. Just go back to sleep and we can try again later."

Watching the entire scene from her place at the other end of the room, Florence came to the end of the bed and leaned against the railing, her emerald eyes gleaming with sympathy, "Aria, he's exhausted both physically and mentally. I think we should try this again tomorrow. Just keep in mind that he wants to see you more than anyone else. After _both of you _get the rest you deserve." When Aria looked like she was going to protest, she shook her head with a smirk on her lips as she handed her a blanket and a pillow from underneath Ezra's hospital bed, "You can stay in here until we move him into another wing."

"Thank you, Florence." She threw the blanket over her and wrapped it with her arms, "I really appreciate it."

"I know you do." The brunette nurse paused for a moment, "It's been pressing on my heart to tell you this for the past two days, but I haven't been able to find the words. Now, seeing you together for the first time, I feel like I have them." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I've seen a lot of couples come in here and be strained over their injuries and the recovery period. But with you and Ezra it seems like you would have rather to take on the bullets in his place. Ever since they brought him in here, you haven't left this hall. You don't even feel right about sleeping when he was like this. Your love for him is one like I've never seen. It's powerful and passionate. Sometimes it breaks your heart, but it's worth fighting for no matter what crosses your path." She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, "Ezra has been asking for you for almost four hours and even in his sleep, he's subconsciously murmuring your name. It's just freaking adorable."

Aria opened her mouth to speak, but Florence stopped her, "You don't need to say anything. Just hold your boyfriend's hand and look perfect together." She held up her hands in the shape of a square frame and gave their "picture" a kiss, smiling the entire time, "Go on and get some rest. I'll wake you up soon." Without another word, the college student exited the room, shutting the door slowly behind her.

The woman left in the hospital room smiled to herself as she settled into a comfortable position, knowing that everything Florence said was true. She would give everything to see her and Ezra's relationship through. Through the thick and the thin, she would be by his side no matter what and she knew that he would do the exact same.

She began to sing softly to herself, trying to find a way to pass the time as she waited for her boyfriend to wake up. A certain melody came upon her lips and she welcomed it as well as a sense of severe nostalgia, remembering the lyrics of night in the bar they had first kissed in a year ago in Cleveland; _Snookers_ if she remembered right It was hard to imagine that a year before, she was with Hayden in Chicago, teaching at the local elementary school in that rundown neighborhood, leaving in a tiny apartment just blocks away from where her ex-boyfriend later cheated on her. Then later that month on the bus trip that changed her life before when she met him, Ezra Fitz.

"_Happiness is just outside my window_

_Would it crash blowing 80-miles an hour?_

_Or is happiness a little more like knocking on your door _

_And you just let it in?_

They hadn't expected the immediate attraction to one another. It was like God worked in mysterious ways to get them together; Aria and Hayden couldn't afford to fly down to Rosewood for Thanksgiving and Ezra was moving with only two duffel bags, ready to start his new life at Hollis as the newest addition to the English Department. They connected over _To Kill a Mockingbird _and their love for the same music. They seemed to have connected faster than anyone else who had claimed of being a victim of, "love at first sight." When they first embraced one another in a physical way, sparks flew. It was a wildfire burning with a fiery driven obsession between them.

_Happiness feels a lot like sorrow _

_Let it be, you can't make it come or go. _

_But you are gone- not for good but for now. _

_And Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good_

After their kiss in the bathroom at _Snookers, _nothing seemed to be going in the direction that had wanted. They knew that having an affair while Aria was engaged to a former gang member was not the best idea. So, Ezra stopped it for their own good. He went to work for Hollis and Aria went back to Chicago. They never stopped thinking about each other though and it wasn't long before their paths crossed again, on the blazing July day when she spilt brake fluid all over his favorite work shirts. It went on from there. They were able to fall in love again; from him fixing every little thing in her apartment to their first date to their first time to moving into together.

_Happiness is a firecracker sitting on my headboard. _

_Happiness was never mine to hold. _

_Careful child, light the fuse and get away. _

_'Cause happiness throws a shower of sparks._

The bliss wasn't going to last forever, though. Aria got the job in Boston and they were forced apart again. However that wasn't before they were able to make a miracle in her womb, growing more and more everyday as time went on without its father knowing. She met great people and made new friends during her time there and he awaited her return, just as he had done before. Until his formerly estranged brother gave him the greatest gift any fool in love could ask for. He showed up at her doorstep, soaked in rain and they rekindled the flame that was blazing in their awaiting hearts. That was everything apart though when a masked gunman nearly tore them apart, landing Ezra in the ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital.

_Happiness damn near destroys you. _

_Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor._

_So you tell yourself, that's enough for now. _

_Happiness has a violent roar."_

Aria was just about to fall asleep when, suddenly, an almost unnoticeable squeeze came through the nerves to her hand and her head shot up. There, with his face as pale as a ghost, were the indigo depths that had captured her almost a year ago, drowning her like how the Atlantic Ocean had sunk the _Titanic _all those years ago. She didn't have a life preserver and she didn't want to have one as she gazed into them as they groggily opened. His curls fell over his head, covering the orbs as if it were a shield and she reached up to brush one of the locks back into place, her thumb caressing the increasing amount of stubble on his cheeks. A feeble gesture of pressure pressed against her palm; it was pathetically weak and hardly there, but she knew that it was and that's all that counted.

His lips formed one word. It wasn't just a word; it was a _name__. A name that Aria had been waiting to hear him say for two days, ever since he walked out of her condo and never came back. The name she knew he loved to say with affectionate radiance. His face was soft and gaining color as his breathing deepened and he murmured something that she had to lean forward to say. She lifted his unbandaged hand to her cheek and he struggled to say it again. It sounded more like a question rather than a statement, but as Ezra struggled to stay awake, he blinked at her with a boyish grin spreading across his face, recognizing her immediately._

"_Aria_?"

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><p><strong>I was originally going to post this chapter as one full one, but when it approached a very large and tedious word count, I decided that it'd be better split it up between Aria and Ezra's POVs. It will also give me a little time to get some of the first chapter of the sequel done. I've been swamped with school and work since I last updated, so I apologize for the delay. <strong>

**Thin Skin **_**SHOULD**_** also be getting an update before Memorial Day. I may continue The World Was on Fire, but I haven't decided yet. **

**I gathered from the reviews and feedback that some of you were puzzled and thrown off by the ending of the last chapter. That was really the point. When someone goes into Hypovolemic shock, their subconscious mind is extremely confused and the person is may be sweating profusely, shaking, generally weak, and for the most part, unconsciousness. So, I tried to incorporate those symptoms into both the flashback and Ezra's mind after he was shot. **

**Please don't forget to leave me feedback! I write for me, as said before, but your reviews are so fun and encouraging to read. So, just drop a sentence or two about how you liked/disliked this chapter. Please constructive criticism, no burning! **

**Thanks for reading! Y'all haven't been anything short of patient and supportive. Ezra's chapter will be up by the weekend, depending on your guys' reactions of this one. **

**See you **_**very **_**soon!**


	19. I'd Fall in Love - Part 2

**If I Knew Then: Chapter 19**

**I'd Fall in Love - Part 2**

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><p><em>If I knew then<em>

_What I know now_

_Whoa, if I knew then, what I know now_

_I'd fall in love_

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><p>A moan escaped Ezra's throat as he fought his way awake, feeling like he was sinking in a drop-off, falling farther into its depths each passing moment. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids, but for some reason, it was harder than it usually was. His head felt like someone was trying to split it with a jackhammer and he couldn't feel the entire right side of his body. His lungs ached and he heard machines beeping and humming all around him. He was definitely not back at Aria's condo. He felt confined to the bed of which he lied, a brace wrapped tightly around his torso.<p>

He had no idea where he was. Evidently, he was lying in a hospital room. He had no recollection as to why. The last thing he remembered was going out to get dinner down the street from the apartment and then everything was blank; a clean, blurry, and black slate. And every time he tried to divulge in what memories he may have, he was sent into a bewildering state of darkness. Then he woke up and he was there. How did he get from the condo to the hospital? Why was he hooked up to so many tubes and wires, with an IV pumping liquids into him? Where was Aria? Was she alright?

The only thing he could remember was smoke. Ezra had no idea from what though. It was a tiny puff of smoke from a device by a human's hand. It illuminated the darkness and haunted the back of his eyelids as he made attempts to open them.

He blinked his eyes open at last and looked to his left. Electricity was sent through every nerve in his body as he saw her. A wide smile graced his lips as he put forth an effort to speak, the word scraping against the walls of his throat. It contained four letters that sent him into a passion-induced frenzy. It made him feel like he was being set on fire as the flames of the word, or the name, ablaze in the wildfire of his heart. It felt like a century since the last time he said it. It ached the core of his body, which was still exhausted for a reason that he couldn't recall no matter how hard he tried. Her name was the kind of word that could cure cancer. Her name made every war cease. It gave him peace and a sense of security that he hadn't felt in his entire life.

Aria sat beside him in the chair next to what looked to be a hospital bed, her breathing steady as if she was asleep. She was wrapped up in his old Hollis hoodie, hanging loosely from her body. She clasped his bandaged hand in her own, as if she was comforted from his touch. He gave it a light squeeze and her head immediately shot up, staring wildly at his face. Her cheeks were streaked with dried tears and soon new ones were being brewed in the depths of her almond-grey eyes. She leaned in close, her sweet breath creating a sweet smelling musk to fall upon his face. She messed with his curls as she always did.

He was finally able to reinforce sound behind the word in his throat, making it so only she could hear him:

"Aria?"

"Ezra!" She exclaimed softly, wiping the few stray tears from her eyes and pressing his bandaged hand to her cheek, since he couldn't caress it himself without using the utmost extent of his strength, "Hey, baby." She giggled, shielding her face with her hair, which he instinctively tucked behind her ear weakly with his fingers. She kissed the tip of his nose, "I know you must be puzzled right now, but I can answer as many questions as I can." Her thumb rubbed the stubble underneath his mouth, locking her gaze with his, realizing that he kept on staring at her, "Do I have something in my teeth?" He shook his head to reassure her and she continued to cradle his face, kissing every bit of it but his lips, "I'm so happy to see that you're finally awake."

"Aria." That's the only word that he could manage to say and he swallowed, using more of his vocabulary that he had paid so much for in college for his Masters in English Literature. He blinked, obviously confused at her statement, "Wait what do you mean, 'finally awake? How long have I been asleep? And why in the damn hell am I in a hospital bed with all of these wires connected to my body?"

She swallowed hard and held his hands in both of her own, "Well, Ezra…you were shot in the shoulder Thursday night when you went to get the food at the Thai restaurant down from the condo." She paused and he watched her face as more tears began to stockpile her cheeks, "You hit your head when you hit the ground and have a concussion. There's a possibility that you may not remember what happened. You also have a broken rib or two."

"Well, that's certainly a turn of events." Ezra stated sarcastically, causing both of them to share a slightly inappropriate laugh. He continued to gape at his girlfriend, watching her talk and he tiredly reached up to brush a lock of her hair into his grasp, rubbing it rhythmically between the tabs of his fingers.

He slightly leaned forward, totally disregarding the numbed chipped bone in the base of his ribs as he brushed his lips against hers. Something about it reminded him of when he first kissed her when they were in that bar in Cleveland. When the sensitive salmon pink skin against hers, the old sparks flew; fireworks blazing wildfires in the blaze of their linked hearts and the joyous celebration of seeing a newborn baby. It was like coming alive after being dead for thousands of years.

With locked mouths, the woman who loved too much fell into the grasp of the man who was afraid to love at all. The embrace wasn't the enchantment.

_They were the magic._

When they separated, she gave his nose another peck, rubbing her own against it, leaning her forehead against his, "You've been in and out of consciousness since the ambulance picked you up, after…after I found you. You'd lost so much blood, babe. You were going into Hypovolemic shock and your heart stopped for a moment. They had to use the paddles and-" She started to choke on her sobs and he said nothing as she continued through her slurred words, "I thought I'd lost you by the time the paramedics got there. It was just so cold and you were shivering. There was so much blood, Ezra! You don't know how lucky you are to be alive right now!"

"Aria, sh. Baby, I'm here for you. I'm alive, okay? I'm here and I am alive." He kissed the top of her head and then wiped the tears away from her cheeks, "Please, stop crying before you make me shed my own tears." He moved over to make room for her on the bed, where she was hesitant to climb onto. He eyed her with a grin and gestured, "Come here and lay here in my arms. I want you beside me and I need to prove to you that I'm really okay." She continued to look skeptical and he sighed, pushing himself into a sitting position, which was difficult since his whole right side of his body was numb. He collapsed back against his pillows after a few seconds of the strenuous labor, only to give off a grunt and attempt the movement again.

"What are you doing?" She cried, trying to stop him, "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I want you here, Aria. Not over in that chair where I can barely touch you. Come here and be with me." He sighed in exasperation, falling against his former place again, "Draw closer to me. I'm too far away from you.

She shook her head in reluctance, burying her head into the nape of his neck, kissing the skin softly, "Your doctor would not be thrilled to see me on the bed beside you; neither would your family. Plus, I don't want to hurt you."

It was his turn to be skeptical in this game of back and forth, "My family? You mean my mother, brother and his family right?" He quavered his head in disbelief, "Why would they come all the way to Boston to see me? I have you and that's all the family I need at the moment."

Aria gazed at him, with a dumfounded expression on her face, "You're honestly asking that, Ezra? Do you even realize on how close you came to losing your life? Did you really expect me not to call your mother and give her the news that her son was shot?" She shook her head again in what seemed to be frustration, more tears brewing up, "I think that's a pretty good reason to check in."

"Maybe, so. I just don't get what all the fuss is about. It's just a little puncture wound." Being the sensible one between him and his girlfriend, he just shrugged as he settled back against his pillow, getting the first stroke of massive pain in his right shoulder and he gripped the bandages that lied there, wincing with gritted teeth. He could not describe the ache that he felt at that moment. However, what he could put into words was equate to being hit a heavyweight truck.

Aria was no help either; she tensed and took on the description of a worried hen over her last surviving chick or Marlon over Nemo in _Finding Nemo_. She inched closer to him, watching his every movement and every change in his facial expression, waiting to page Florence or his doctor in case something drastic happened. Once in a somewhat bearable position, he inhaled and exhaled deeply as he used his left hand to wipe the brewing beads of sweat from his forehead, glaring at her with narrowed eyes,. "Are you going to come over here or not?"

"Ezra, I really don't think-"

"Aria." He said her name firmly. He peered into her hazel depths, feeling the intensity of the deep enriched pupils burning every nerve in his body. He needed her closer to him. He needed her where she was safe in his damaged and bruised arms, proving that no matter what they went through together, the horizon was on the nearby coast, awaiting their royal arrival. He just needed her in general, "Please."

She denied his advances for a couple more moments; however, she couldn't resist his smoldering gaze gleaming at for very much longer and let out a heavy heave as she slowly ascended into a place beside him, careful not to bump any of the tubes or wires connected to his body. He tried to wrap his left arm around her and was finally was able to twirl it over her shoulders, entwining his fingers with hers. He looked over at her and kissed her hair, murmuring, "I love you even in my most broken state."

"You're not broken. More like a little bent."

"I feel broken…" He muttered through gritted teeth, the agony in his shoulder becoming his main source of thought. He fought the urge to cry; it felt like someone had shot him. Oh right, that was because someone had, "What did I hurt again? I wasn't listening because I was too distracted with seeing your beautiful face again." She ducked behind a layer of her hair, which he brushed back with his workable hand, "Don't be shy, love. The color in your cheeks is one of my favorite things about you."

Aria brushed off the comment with a shrug, her cheeks turning scarlet, "I think Florence told me three bruised ribs, one of which is chipped from where you landed on it when you fell." She glanced at his bandages and he felt her tense up as if she remembered two nights before when she found him bleeding out to his death, "The worst were the two gunshots; one almost hit an artery. The doctors said that you were lucky that you did get hypothermia in addition to the shock. It was freezing that night."

He was shaking his head before she finished, "I'm just glad that you weren't there with me. You may have been hurt too." His head fell against the pillow in a gesture of frustration, "I wish I could remember what happened. That would make it so much easier on all of us in this situation." He swallowed deeply within his throat, "Everything is just so dark. All I can remember is smoke, which I suppose was from the gun after I was…" He groaned, holding her closer. He didn't have the ability to say the word shot, "This seriously sucks. I was almost killed and I can't even remember who tried to get rid of me. What in the hell did I ever do to deserve this?" He sighed after a moment of released stress, "The recovery is going to be hell and you're going to have to care for me as if I'm a baby."

"Hey, now, Mr. Glum. No need to be so pessimistic. After all, it's only a puncture wound." She giggled, cuddling closer to him, her head finding a place on his exposed chest, "It's nothing that some love and pain killers can't fix in addition to months of physical therapy and brain exercises."

"That sounds like a lot of hard work and I'm scared. What if I'm not strong enough to take on the task of recovering of being shot?"

"I'll be beside you the entire time, Ezra. You have no need to be fearful of the future because you know what? I am going to be in it and I'll push you along." She kissed his chin in a gesture of comfort, "Every step of the way, you will look over and see me there. When you're at your lowest point, I will be lifting you back up. When you feel like it's too hard to carry on, I'll be telling those negative voices in your head to shut up. When you need a shoulder to cry on, I will be here with a towel and a bowl of hummus and pretzels." They laughed loudly together and she kissed the corner of his lips in a tease, "And most important of all, when you're looking for a place to rest your head after a long day of pushing yourself to recover from this travesty, I will be home to you."

With tears pricking in his eyes, he held her tighter, ignoring the throbbing on the right side of his body, "Where we love is home-home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." They remained like that, just tangled in a bed sheet and each other. It comforted Ezra to have Aria so close to him. She didn't know how much he believed in the quote that he'd just said. He used to think that home is love, that where one grew and learned about their partner. At once certain point in time, he almost seemed to have given up on the idea of finding his home. He'd given up on the idea of love when he kept pushing every woman he had relations with before things got too serious.

Aria was the only exception to that rule. Did he try and push her away? Yes, he did. It was engraved into his nature. It was the way that he saw the world: if someone got too close to him, he would build up a wall and shut them out. He didn't even realize when he did it. She was determined from the start to eliminate his fears once and for all. She molded him in her hands like Silly Putty and molded him from a terrified boy into a determined man. When he wanted to give up on them and was down in the dumps about one thing or another, she chased those feelings away. When he didn't want to try anymore, she wound him back up and had him kicking and screaming against the demons that were constantly battling in the chambers of his heart. She took a broken and scared boy and turned him into a man who also happened to be an addict. An addict of love.

_He was addicted to her love._

After a few moments of silence, Ezra finally spoke once more, clearing his throat, "Thanks for calling Ken and my mother. I guess getting shot does ask for my entire family make a trip to see me in the hospital."

She murmured, tilting her face up to his, locking gazes, twirling one of his curls around her finger, "I just can't imagine you being so close to death and not letting your mother know. You two may not be close, but you're still her son." She paused as if she wanted to say something else but she must have changed her mind and said something else, "You'll always be her son. No matter what the distance between you two, she will never stop being your mother. She will always be your mother."

"Good point, my love. Very good point." Ezra grinned, pressing a hard kiss against her temple, "I was a mommy's boy when I was younger. My dad did his best to bond with Kenneth and me before the divorce, but he was always at work. He was a diesel mechanic and my mom was a nurse, you see. Ken took care of me from the time I was born, which is one of the reasons he is always looking out for me nowadays; when we were kids that was his job."

He shook his head, "Things were great between my parents until 1999, but I don't even know what happened. They were always laughing and cuddling before that and then one day, they just gave up and he was gone before they decided how to work it out, like he was forced to. He didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to us kids. Mom never even explained to us why and she didn't need to. She took us out of town and we moved to Manhattan and were enrolled into private school, pretending to live a perfect life as a broken family. A part of me has always resented her for that, for taking my dad away from me and making me leave my home behind. I got it over soon enough, though. But when I turned eighteen, I followed Ken's footsteps and got the hell away from her. Our relationship has gotten better with time, but I didn't want to see her any more than I had to."

He ran his hand through his hair, "I don't even know where my dad went, so don't get me started on that. Apart from the occasional birthday and Christmas card, he stayed out of my life." He chuckled darkly as he continued, "I know Kenneth will slit my throat if he heard me saying this, but I missed him. He was teaching me how to shave and bet on the dog track when he disappeared from my life. When he had the time, William Fitz had the ability to make himself the World's Greatest Dad." He laughed as he recalled a tale from his childhood, "Once when I was eight, we went to the rope swing by the pond on our ten acres of land for some father-son bonding time. Ken was out running around raising hell with his buddies and Mom was at work. It was one of rare times that Dad was given the day off."

"He tore me away from my books for once and he dragged me out to the pond. He said, "Ezra, you need to learn the way of the land. Don't be a damn Yankee like your mother and brother and flinch every time you get a speck of dirt on you" and before I knew it, he pushed me into the tarn. Now, he forgot that I didn't swim well and when I didn't come back up, he dove in after me. The water wasn't that deep, but come on! I was eight years old and I wasn't the largest child around; I've always been lanky and somewhat of a weakling. Anyway, after he was able to get the water out of my lungs and upright again, he shoved my shoulder, saying "Ezra William…you swim like a goddamned, one legged Yankee with a glass eye. It's time you learn how to grow some testicles and swim like a rebel". That was pretty much like saying, "I love you, son. I'm glad you're alright". He was never good with expressing how he felt, so to avoid saying such words to his very damp eight-year old son, he just shoved me back into the pond again." He laughed, tears pricking in the corners of his eyes, "He took the rest of the week off and taught me how to swim 'like a rebel' and to this day I can tell you that I swim better than any of the Yankees and Brits in the summer Olympics."

Aria cackled like a hyena and snuggled closer to her boyfriend, "He sounds like he was a really good dad, even in the rare moments of spending time with him." She paused, "Would you want you see him again? What would you do if he just happened to show up at the hospital?"

Ezra snorted in exasperation, "Come on, Aria. Let's be real here. The man hasn't seen me in fifteen years. Do you really think that he would show up to see me? How would he even know that I was here? He made it pretty clear when he took off when I was twelve that he wanted to stay gone. I'm twenty-seven now. I'm grown up and even though I miss him having him in my life, the time when I needed him has past." He rubbed his eyes as if he was exhausted with the subject already, "Hypothetically, however, I think I would cry tears of joy and anger. I want to see him again, but it's not essential to my wellbeing if I never have that chance. If I ever had a kid, I wouldn't be able to put him or her down, let alone leave for years upon a time. Any man can be a father, but it takes a lot for a man to be a daddy."

He felt her tense up at the subject of him being a father and suddenly, he remembered the topic of their conversation from two nights before. She was going to tell him about what her friend Haley had congratulated him for. He was drawing a blank at what any kind of thing it could be. Was there a possibility that she could be holding onto a secret that was literally inside of her? They'd had multiple conversations in the past if they were to have a child together.

Besides, if his girlfriend, hypothetically, was pregnant, she wouldn't have kept it from him, right? She knew that she would have nothing to worry about. He would respect any choice she made and support it. A baby now meant that she would have to go back to Rosewood and be put into a worse situation than she was before she left her hometown for the job in Boston. Or he would have to find one in Boston. Raising a child with over three hundred miles between them would never work and would only turn them against each other, ultimately leaving the infant with squabbling parents and a broken home.

He knew that it was hardly possible at the moment, though. They used protection all the times they'd had sex and nothing had broken. They always took precautions to avoid any unwanted surprises. Ezra silently scoffed at his thoughts as he listened to Aria's breathing against his own. The likelihood of the flying embers of his mind happening was slim to none. However, in the pit of his stomach, he knew that something was about to happen; something that was going to change their lives forever and he couldn't put his finger on it as to what it was.

Before he could ask Aria to what it might have been as they lied there, however, there was a knock on the hospital room door and Florence opened it with a push of her shoulder. She smiled widely as she saw them in the bed together, murmuring, "Hey, you two. Glad to see you awake, Ezra. It's the first time I've seen those big blue eyes open." She strode over to them and pat his knee in a gesture of friendship and gentleness, "I'm Florence. I'll be your nurse during your time here at Massachusetts General."

"I'm glad to be awake, Florence."

"I can see that Aria is very content to see those beautiful eyes open as well." She shook her head and rolled her eyes at them; not in an annoyed manner, but rather in a way that she was admiring their place in each other's arms, "I swear that if you never get me married, I am giving up on the idea of love. Just invite me to the wedding, okay?"

Ezra laughed and yawned, stretching out his good arm before bringing it back around Aria, hugging her tightly, "We'll make sure to put you in one of the front rows of the pews." He peered at the nurse with drowsy eyes, "Could I get some more painkillers? The whole right side of my body is screaming right now."

"We expected that when you came to." She nodded, "I'll get you some before they move you to the general wing in a couple minutes, alright? Your family and friends have been wanting to see you, but I lied and said that you were still asleep. Unfortunately, your mother is threatening lawsuit if I don't let her see you. It's like, I'm sorry, but he's spending time with the woman he loves and besides, just because you have money coming out of your ears, you don't own the world and it doesn't revolve around you."

He beamed with a grin spreading across his face in a rather annoyed and frustrated way, "That's definitely Dianne Fitz." He sighed, rubbing his eyes, "Tell her that I need my rest, but she'll be the first person that I talk to when I wake up."

"I'll give her the message." Florence replied curtly, clearly still annoyed with the older woman who was breathing down her neck, "Aria, you're going to need to get out of the bed before the doctor comes in here. She understands couples such as yourselves coming through here, but she's not one to approve of the bed sharing. She thinks it tampers with the patient's health and recovery process. So…" The nurse trailed off and shrugged, "Well, bid your farewells for the time being. We're moving Ezra over to the general wing in about ten minutes."

"Sounds great." Aria said sarcastically as her neighbor left, disappointment radiating from her being, "I'm going to need to tell and update everyone on what's going on anyway."

"No, don't leave me." Ezra protested, grabbing her hand as she tried to get up from the bed and yanked her back into him against his chest. He winced in regret afterward as the force caused vibrations in the sore parts of his body.

"Ezra-"

"Let the doctor complain, okay? Let her raise hell for you being in the bed with me. I need you near me and I need you so close that I can feel your heart against mine and your breathing in rhythm in step with my own. Please, love?" He pleaded with her, his blue eyes wide and full of desperation.

"Alright, babe. I'll settle down with you and cuddle you up and cuddle you in." She rolled her eyes and settled down next to her boyfriend again.

"_Just give a little time to me to burn this out, we can play hide and seek to turn this around. All I want is the taste that your lips allow. Oh my, my give me love_." He murmured softly, tilting Aria's face towards his so then he could plant a peck on her lips before wrapping her up in his left arm, "_Oh give me love._"

"Any time of day, any time of night." The twenty-three year old smiled softly before asking rather hesitantly, "Are you sure you're okay? I don't want to tamper with your recovery by here in bed with you."

"He cleared his throat and closed his eyelids, his lips pulling up at the corners, "If anything, baby, you're the only one that can convince me to recover." They sighed into each other, lying together on that bed. It was around nine o' clock and they were both exhausted. So, they remained there, totally ignoring the doctor's protesting as she walked into the room. Nothing could tear them apart again. Not a rotten ex-boyfriend who couldn't stay out of their lives. Not a distance of over three hundred miles. Not friends who tried to be more. Not disapproving families. Not absent fathers. No one could make them leave each other and no one could make them say goodbye, especially not at that moment when they were lying in peace for the first time since their summer of love together.

The hospital bed became their temporary tranquil sanctuary and although they shared a wish it had been elsewhere, they weren't going to complain.

_Because they wouldn't rather be anywhere else._

* * *

><p>Nonstop rest and pain killers plagued Ezra for the rest of the weekend and into the second week of November. By that Wednesday, he was going insane with everything going on. His memory was just as horrendous as it had been when he woke up on Saturday and he was unable to give the police any information apart from the bullets that had been in his body. His right shoulder was healing normally, or so the doctors told him. He couldn't feel it and when he did, he was sent Florence to put him on a high dose of pain killers. It turned out that he actually had two broken ribs once the X-Rays went through, so he was set in a brace to where he could not rotate his torso by any means.<p>

The worst part of it was how stressful his mother made everything. As soon as he was taken to the general wing, she was flocking over him like he was a hurt chipmunk and she had to build a splint for it. She was at his side at almost all times and often shoved Aria out of the way. She hardly even acknowledged his girlfriend's existence, so she would just sit in the chair beside him and keep her mouth shut. He was going to be stuck in the hospital until the following Tuesday and he felt like he was going to hit Dianne with a bedpan by that time.

He was able to catch a break during lunchtime when his mom decided to run down to the cafeteria and put Kenneth, Natalie, and Emma in charge of watching him as if he needed a babysitter. Aria sat in the waiting room with Katrin and Haley who were keeping her entertained and somewhat sane as her probable future mother-in-law treated her like she didn't even exist. Emma was sitting beside her uncle, his good arm wrapped around her to keep the three year old bouncing child from falling off of the bed. Natalie sat in the chair beside him and Kenneth was lounged out on the room's couch, his reading glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose as he read a book.

Emma poked her uncle, who was dozing off from the side effects of the painkillers, her curly brown hair coming up in wisps against her forehead. Her sky indigo orbs were wide with innocence and annoyance, "Uncle Ezra, wake up! You're not supposed to be sleeping. Granny said that you slept enough!" She paused for a moment with pursed lips and soon continued with an inquisitive face, "Besides, you're not supposed to sleep without Aria. She's your bed buddy."

"My bed buddy, huh?" He locked eyes with his brother who was across the room, a grin clear in his voice, "So, Kenny? Aria is my bed buddy?"

"I think what Ems met was that we know that Aria sleeps in that hospital bed with you even though she's not supposed to. However, she's also quite great with words, just like her uncle is." Kenneth looked over at his three year old daughter with narrowed eyes and a smirk grazing his lips, "Nat, what have you been letting our daughter watch while I'm at work?" Natalie just giggled, her cheeks turning red and the eldest Fitz brother rolled his eyes and continued reading his book; a copy of _A Farewell to Arms_ by Ernest Hemingway, "Emma, you need to stop listening to adult conversations. Stick to reading Dr. Seuss."

The talkative child, unaware of the sexual innuendo she'd made, shook her head and continued to pester Ezra, who was chuckling with his eyes closed, "Uncle Ezra! Wake up!" She punched his shoulder and her bottom lip came over her top one in a pout, "Princess Aria will be sad if you sleep the entire day away! You have a boo-boo and how is Princess Aria supposed to kiss it and make it better if you don't stop sleeping?"

Melting away at the innocence in the young person's eyes, the uncle pushed himself into a sitting position with a wince. Half of his body was numb and the other was sore from supporting the one that was sleepier than he was. He turned to his niece, ruffling her hair and pulling her close to him to kiss her forehead, "Sorry, sweetheart. My boo-boo just hurts me a lot and I need a few more kisses to make it better. Maybe Princess Aria can come in and give it a peck or two with her magic wand."

Emma shook her head again; this time because of his cluelessness, "Princesses don't have wands. Their fairy godmothers do." She rolled her eyes and huffed at him, "Here I can give it a kiss to make it better too!" She climbed over him, careful not to put any extra weight on his torso, giving the bandages on his right shoulder a press to her mouth before pulling away ad settling back into her place, beaming from ear to ear, "See! I can make boo-boos better, too!"

"I'm feeling fantastic already. It really works." Ezra grinned at his niece, ruffling her long brown locks and giving her forehead a kiss.

She did a little fist pump and exclaimed, "Of course it does! Don't you believe in miracles?" She didn't wait for answer nor did she want one as she slid off the bed, bouncing everywhere and unable to hold still; typical for a three year old little girl who had been waiting to see her father's injured sibling, "Can I go get the princess so she can help her prince get better? My kiss for Prince Charming's boo-boo is very temporary and he needs his future queen to make him feel better."

Natalie couldn't help, but smile at the tender caring that Emma had for Ezra, "I'm sure he would love to see her. I still need to formally meet her and approve her for my little brother-in-law."

She pleaded to her mother and father, "And her fellow princesses? They're so funny and they played house with me when we were waiting for Uncle Ezra to wake up. Princess Haley even gave me a piggyback ride and shared some of her food! And Princess Katrin with the pretty voice read me a book!"

"I know, honey. The princesses are extremely nice and they have been nothing short of supportive of Aria, Grandma, and everyone else involved." Natalie reassured the toddler, taking her daughter's hand and as she tried to drag the woman out, she called out, "I guess having all of us in the room together won't be too much to handle will it?"

Kenneth shrugged, pushing himself into a sitting position, folding his glasses into his front shirt pocket and closing the book with a mark that told him where he was, "It's up to Prince Ezra, now isn't it? After all, this hospital is his castle." He peered over at his little brother, "Are you feel well enough for all of the company? If not, I'm sure Emma would be willing to wait for your boo-boo to heal before you have all of these visitors tramping in and out."

Emma retreated back over to him, stilling trembling and bouncing up and down like a constipated Chihuahua puppy, "Please, Uncle Ezra!

Ezra gave his permission with a bob of his head and Emma jumped up and down in excitement, "Yay! Come on, Mommy!"

It wasn't long before Emma and Natalie were out of the room and he was left alone with his older brother, who was making his way over to the end of the bed. He raised an eyebrow in his direction when he saw him watching his every movement and he rolled his eyes, shaking his head, "You're starting to make me feel extremely small, Kenny, just like how Mom has been doing for the past four days since I woke up on Saturday. I feel like a spec of bacteria underneath a microscope."

"Well, it's not every day that my only brother gets shot." Kenneth gripped the bed posts, his tendons in his neck tightening, "I feel like that all of this is my fault."

"Ken, you had no way of knowing that I would be attacked on my way to get dinner."

"But I gave you the tickets, Ez! I gave you plane tickets to see Aria during the anniversary month since you two met. I gave your relationship a shot and look where you are! You're in a place far away from home in a hospital bed with wires and IVs connected to your body! Look at yourself!"

"Stop it!" He cut him off, his blood boiling, "Just stop! You're starting to sound like my girlfriend now. All she does is blame herself for everything that goes wrong with our relationship and I just want everyone to quit it and listen to my opinion about this! After all, I'm the one who's hurt with holes in my body, lying in a hospital not knowing what in the hell happened because I can't remember a damn thing!"

He tucked his hands behind his head, starting to pace back and forth, "Do you really think that Aria is worth all this trouble? You never had been shot before she came along!"

"I thought we were past this!" He shot upward, instantly regretting it with the shrill of crackling pain that shot through his core, "You're not blaming yourself for anything. You're blaming my girlfriend who I just got back with on Thursday morning! She had nothing to do with this." He clenched his jaw with antagonism, "Or are you blaming me for falling in love with her again? How many times do I have to tell you how I feel about her before you finally get the idea through that thick skull of yours?"

"I'm not blaming her, Ezra. I'm not blaming your or your feelings for her either. You can't help you fall in love with. Mom probably felt the same about Dad as you do about Aria."

"There is no comparison between the two relationships. It's like apples and oranges! Aria didn't make me miserable like Dad made Mom for all of those years and vice versa. I fell in love with Aria because she makes me feel like I don't have to be afraid to fall in love with someone like her. She has history that I can't even imagine, but that was back before she met me. She's changed. I met in her in the most unexpected way. She's my best friend and the only person keeping me going through this. She's my rock! Why won't anyone believe me when I say that?"

Kenneth didn't meet his gaze for a moment, "Ezra, I'm not saying that I don't believe you. I do; trust me, I feel the same way about Natalie." He shook his head with a shrug, "I'm just questioning whether this is good for you two. Someone is going to get hurt; even more than you already have been."

"Get out." Without a warning, Ezra stood for the first time since Thursday evening. An immense amount of pain send shock ways through him, causing him to shiver from his spine.

"Ezra, what in the hell do you think you're doing?" Kenneth exclaimed, trying to get him to sit back down, "I'm sorry that I upset you, but you need to relax and get back in that bed.

"I said, _get out!" _He snarled at his older brother, his lip curled at the sight of him. He was very wobbly and his legs shot awake from their deep sleep, the blood moving through the veins in them. He unhooked himself the wires, only using the IV as support as he trudged to the door, opening it just as a light brown haired man came through it, knocking him over. Pain thundered through his nerves, causing him to curl up into a fetal position.

Suddenly his world wasn't so black. It was as if a memory flickered like a candle in his mind. He could see the gun staring at him from a distance, words pouring from someone's mouth-definitely a man's-, not reaching his ears. That was when the shots met his shoulder, oozing up blood like a crimson river. He fell back and hit his head. He remembered it; at least some of it. The face of the masked demon was hidden in a masquerade from darkness, but he still remembered.

That was when the flashback stopped. He then lied gasping on his hospital room floor, staring up his brother and a stranger that he didn't recognize, even though he seemed awfully familiar, "I remembered. I remembered…" He murmured, trying to shut out a blaring headache from his newest revelation, "I remember it."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!." The man's icy blue eyes shot open with surprise when he saw what happened. Then he seemed to recognize the patient and he rolled his gaze in annoyance; though he was shaking with what seemed to be terror, "What in the hell, Ezra?" He groaned and helped the twenty-seven year old off the ground gently, supporting the injured side of his body while Kenneth got the other, trudging him back along back to the bed, which he plopped onto happily, exhausted from the adventure, "Are you trying to kill yourself or are you just plain stupid, son?"

"Number two, I suppose." Ezra replied, getting back into a comfortable position, hooking the wires back into his arms, just the way that he had found them before he'd taken them out.

"I agree. You need to rest and you're off doing all that dramatic shit." Kenneth jumped in, glaring at his little brother as he made his way back to his position on the couch, picking up his book and beginning to read again. He didn't seem to pay attention to the strange man in the room or feel the urge to introduce himself.

"As do I. I come in to see this injured son of a bitch and he's running into doors with two holes in his damn body." The man's voice rang with a Southern accent of familiarity. The stranger wore a Red Sox baseball cap over his slightly receding hairline, his thick rimmed black glasses glinting in the fluorescent light of the hospital room. His plain grey t-shirt clung to his figure, highlighting his farmer-like frame. He was about his and Kenneth's heights, dirty blue jeans stained with sweat, indicating a hardworking American-born man.

He sat in the chair beside the bed, punching Ezra's good shoulder as he settled into the cushion, causing him to wince. Kenneth shot up with shock, his gaze angry. He held a hand up for him to stop, shaking his head, "You dumbass Yankee boys are always hurting yourselves and whining about it later on when you face the consequences. Get on with your life and let it go." He shook his head in annoyance, "I thought I'd taught you better than that when you were in my care."

Ezra looked up and peered at the man with embers of fuming indigo spewing at his ambiance, eyes narrowed into thin slits. Once more, he was having an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, "I'm sorry, sir. My memory is a bit shaky at the moment, but have we met before?"

The man nodded and took off his hat, rubbing his beard calmly, "Well, I suppose we have. I was the first one to hold you after your mama popped you right on out from the sack. I held you in my arms and said to you that I was going to raise you and your brother over there to be strong and respectable men. And look where you are now. A professor and a doctor, both college graduates and in successful relationships." He looked over at Kenneth with a smile, "You even have a daughter; a three year old little girl named Emma. I just saw her running around. She favors you and Natalie both."

Kenneth's mouth hung agape, "Who are you?"

Totally disregarding the thirty year old's question, he glanced back to Ezra, who was breathing heavily as he began to connect the dots, "Aria is a fine young lady. She's the one, ain't she, boy? She's been at your side since you were shot outside her condo. She's a looker, too. I met her on Saturday and oh boy she is beautiful. You better not ever let a pretty sweet girl like that go." He ran his fingers through his hair, "You're both lucky, boys. Sorry, I missed your wedding, Kenny. I got the invite when I was still in Wisconsin. I'll make sure that I make it to Ezra's though."

That's when it clicked for Ezra. He could practically smell lake water from all those years ago; a pond with plenty of fish to catch and a rope swinging from a handmade diving deck on a limb of a tree nearby. The water filled his lungs and a russet haired man with a calloused grip pulled him out onto the grass, icy blue eyes staring back down at him, glinted with terror. He was then twelve, waking up one morning and having his mother telling him that she and her husband of nearly twenty years were getting divorced. Cardboard boxes filling his room up to the ceiling as he packed away all the memories of his first twelve years of life, his mom whispering that they were better off without a man like his father.

He knew exactly who and what the man was and for some reason, he felt an overwhelming sense of excitement, knowing that he finally returned after fifteen years of being absent from his life. He had missed the man that he always put in the back of his mind. The man that had abandoned him before he could teach him anything about girls, farming, or writing. The man who ignored the letters he'd written to him. The man who was only present with birthday and Christmas cards.

He had his father-William Fitz- back and he wasn't going to let him escape his fingers again.

"You can't be who I think you are. He dropped out of our lives when we were kids. He ran away like a coward before the divorce papers were even filed." Kenneth hopped up and came to the opposite of where the man sat, taking on a furious and territorial stance beside his little brother, "I had to step up and take care of everything so then Mom could take care of us in a new home and in a new city. Why in the hell would he come back now when our lives are so much better off without him?"

"Ouch." He smirked, looking at Kenneth up and down, "You've grown into a fine young man. Nearly leading a perfect life; even without a father in the picture when you were a teenager. You're both success stories. I'm proud of you."

"You have no right to be! We may be biologically related, but you're not my father! You weren't there for me when I was going through hell trying to be the man of the house while you were off doing God knows what!" He screamed in his face, "You were there for none of it! I tried to find you when I was engaged to Natalie. You never met me halfway so you missed our wedding. I sent you a card so you could attend _your first grandchild's _birthday party and meet her for the first time. You never responded and I had to answer questions of why you didn't make it to a heartbroken little girl who just wanted her Grandpa Bill in her life!"

Tears poured from Kenneth's emerald eyes, staining his scruffy cheeks; this was the first time that Ezra had ever seen him cry over what their father had done to them in all of those empty years. To be honest, it scared the youngest Fitz brother, "I've gone to the edges of the Earth looking for you and now, when your youngest son is shot, you decide to show up and interrupt our lives without you? We've lived for _fifiteen years _without your bullshit and now you want to shove our noses into it!"

"Kenny-"

"Don't call me that! Don't pretend like the past fifteen years hasn't happened and call me what you used to when I was a boy, back when I needed you, when Ezra needed you, _when your entire family needed you_. You left without saying goodbye! Mom just said you were gone and that we didn't need you anymore. She lied to us! I needed you more than anything else and you were gone!"

"Do you think I wanted to leave? _I had to!"_

Ezra piped up for the first time, asking quietly, "Why did you have to leave?"

Bill sighed and spoke up, swallowing hard, "I always meant to come back. I just thought you didn't need me anymore. Your mother moved you to Manhattan and you were at the top of your classes, off to marvelous places in your lives. So, I stayed away."

"That didn't answer the question. I'll ask you again: _why did you have to leave?_ Don't avoid it; just give us an answer."

He inhaled deeply and crossed his arms across his chest, eyes narrowed, as if he was remembering a dark tale that he had never told anyone, "The night I left was the night I was arrested. You see, my boys, when I was a teenager before I met your mom and had a family to worry about, I ran with a bad group of guys. My dad, your grandpa William Fitz Sr., had connections in New England; here in Boston actually. He was what you may call a mobster. His name was not really that; it was more of an alias, one of many actually. The name on his birth certificate says Phillip Fitzgerald."

He paused for a moment, thinking, "Well, I got tangled up in the swing of things, as I was the oldest son of one of the most wanted hit men in the country. I didn't think of anything of it at the time; I was carefree and naïve to what my father was doing. I hurt a lot of families with what I did; I never killed anyone, but I watched it happen with my father who was relentlessly cruel. Deep down, I knew it was wrong, but it didn't register with my conscience until much later. I earned my own place in the ranks until it hit me."

"I was about fourteen when I quit the business. It upset a lot of people; I knew too much and needed to be taken care of quickly and quietly. I ran away to live with my uncle, who was a lawyer in North Carolina. He owned a large farm and I started to work for him. I met your mom and everything seemed to be going great, especially after you two were born and we moved to Pennsylvania. I started running the shop and your mom nursed at the hospital. No one was able to find me; I changed my name to William Fitz, only because it was so obvious, no one in the mob would think it was me."

Kenneth cleared his throat, "Someone obviously did, though."

"Yes, they did." He rubbed his eyes, as if he was about to cry, "In '99, matter o' fact. My dad was somehow able to escape the business, but, unfortunately, he left a messy trail. He was killed when they found him in a squat house in North Dakota. Your mother received the call from my mother and she found out about the entire thing and that's when the fighting between us started. She wanted to head north with you boys and start over with new identities, but I knew well enough that running would only make us bigger targets. So, we stayed and stayed. We tried to go back to having normal lives, but I started shooting again. It wasn't like when I was a boy and I only had to look out for myself; I had a family to guard and keep safe."

"So, that's why you took us out and taught us how to us a rifle." Ezra pitched in.

"That's exactly why; you boys needed to help me protect your mama and also be able to protect yourselves." Bill smiled sadly at them, "Right after your birthday, Ezra, a man tried to break into our house and I thought he was part of it all to ambush us when actually, he was a low life looking for my guns which somehow he knew I had. So, I shot him. I shot him multiple times and he died before the police arrived. You two were asleep and your mother was keeping an eye on you when the authorities handcuffed me and took me away."

"Turns out that lowlife was the estranged son of the district attorney who nailed my ass in court. I was convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. I talked to my attorney and to protect my family from the scrutiny of our town, I was transferred to the one in Milwaukee instead of the one in Philly. I was better off being a deadbeat husband and father than being a mobster and giving my kids a horrible future. I received and signed the divorce papers that Dianne had sent to me. My fellow inmates even started to call me Wild Bill when they heard about my history in the _family business_. I was never charged with any of that since I managed to cover my tracks a bit better than your grandfather."

"I sent the birthday and Christmas cards through a sympathetic Chaplin that came into the penitentiary once a week. That's why you couldn't find me. Though I did get your letters, Ezra. They pushed me through some low points in those first couple years." He glanced at his oldest son with a wide grin, "And you cannot imagine how immensely _proud_ I was of you, Kenny, when I received the invitation to your wedding."

"All those years of being away, you were in prison? Why didn't Mom tell us? Has she known the truth for all these years and not told us?" Kenneth asked, calming down from his anger from ten minutes before, "Why didn't you respond to any of Ezra's letters?"

"Kenny, your mother jumped on the idea of me leaving Pennsylvania. She'd changed from the woman I met when we were high school sweethearts. She wanted nothing to do with me after those papers were signed." He shrugged, relaxing a slight bit, "I suppose she didn't want to tell you when you two were younger because she was afraid that you would get caught up in my shit that my dad tangled me in when I was just a boy. Little did she know, I wanted the exact opposite for my boys. I knew you two were going to turn out great, even without me in the picture. I knew that you, Kenny, would have to step up and take care of your ma and brother. I also knew that Ezra would probably learn how to shave right without the rest of my lessons." He smirked over at his youngest son before sighing and shaking his head, "I got out three years ago because of good behavior; just about the time when Emma was born. I wanted to come and see you two, but I knew that you probably better off without your lousy dad in the picture."

He glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed once more, "I better be going before your mother comes in here and threatens to sue me for harassing my sons." He shoved his hands into his pockets, swirling the toothpick that sat in his mouth around with his tongue, "I have a place not too far from the campus. I'll be squatting there as long as Ezra is here."

"What a coincidence. I suppose I won't mind having you so close. And Mom as well, since she's probably going to be around, wrapping me in bubble wrap for the rest of my life." Ezra rolled his eyes, "Well, it's not like she's not been irrational before, right?" He bit his thumbnail, deep in thought, "I think we're going to have a very colorful conversation about this after I get out of here and go back to my girlfriend's condo."

"Don't give her too hard of a time, alright? She just did what she had to do to keep the two of you safe."

Kenneth huffed in annoyance, "She's robbed us of the truth of knowing what happened to you for the past fifteen years; unless you're lying to us now about all of us. Why should we trust you? You've been gone for fifteen years and have missed out on so much in our lives; high school, college, weddings and grandchildren. And now you've just waltzed right in again and expect us to take your words in and not second guess them at all."

"Kenny, I know that I don't sit in your nominations for "Father of the Year" at the moment, but I never once lied to you boys when you were kids. Everything that I've told you today is the truth, whether you believe that or not. I know it's going to take baby steps to get to where we once were as father and sons, but I believe that if anyone can do it, we can." Bill replied to him before patting Ezra on his good shoulder, his gaze softening, "Don't stress yourself out too much about it, sport. I didn't mean to tell you this today, but I owed you the truth. Rest up, kiddo. We can continue this conversation another day." The room was silent for a few moments before Bill pushed himself to his feet, looking at the two of them, "I want to be part of your lives, boys. It's not just you anymore. I have a granddaughter who has never met me and I want to make up for the time that I've missed with her."

The eldest Fitz brother exchanged a glance with Ezra before complying and going after him as he headed toward the door, "Wait, Dad!" The word was strange on Kenneth's tongue and his little brother as well as his father knew it. He looked over his shoulder into his emerald eyes and Kenneth exhaled before hesitantly saying, "Dad, if you're no longer involved in the mess of things with Grandpa's business and you swear that you're telling the honest to God truth right now, then I don't see any reason on why we can't make this work. You and Mom will have to work out your differences for our family's sake. Because you're right, it's not just Ezra and me anymore. You have practically two daughters and a granddaughter to bond with."

Bill grinned at his eldest son, beaming from ear to ear, "What are you saying, Kenny?"

"How would you like to meet your granddaughter Emma for the first time?"

"_I would love to."_

* * *

><p>Later that Wednesday afternoon, once Ezra was able to shoo his pestering her mother back to her hotel room near the train station, his father was able to sneak back into the hospital from his own staying quarters near Aria's condo so then he would have the opportunity to meet Emma and his daughter-in-law for the first time. He ducked his head into the room, whispering like there was a huge secret; to him, there was, "Is it all clear for me to come in?"<p>

Ezra nodded, keeping Aria close to him with his good arm, pressing his lips into her hair, "They're down in the cafeteria getting dinner. Katrin had to take off and go makeup the days she's made at BU. She'll be back later after she eats dinner. As will Mom, so we better going on this meeting."

"Most definitely. Your mother hasn't wanted to see me for fifteen years. I highly doubt she would to now." Bill agreed before shoving his hands into his pockets, chewing on Peppermint gum. He glanced over at Haley, who was settled in the chair beside the bed and she met his gaze with a smile and big eyes. He stuck out his hand for her to shake. "You must be Haley Russet. Ezra told me earlier all of the sexual innuendos that you say on his expense. Thanks for filling my shoes. I'm Bill."

"Oh it's been a pleasure." The teacher's assistant shot a grin in the couple's direction, "I'd say I've heard a lot about you, but until earlier today, I had no idea that Ezra even had a father. I figured that Dianne, the spawn of Satan, just performed some kind of masturbation gone wrong and had both boys on her own."

"I wouldn't doubt it." He chuckled and shrugged.

Haley looked at Bill up and down, reflecting her lack of shame and humility as she took in his appearance, licking her lips seductively, "What is it with the Fitz gene pool? How is it that all you men have the same curly hair and jawline. I am also going to go out on a limb here and ask: do you have abs like Ezra?"

"Not as long as you count a farmers tan and respect for women a six pack. However, if you must see…" He untucked his shirt and lifted it, revealing a great figure at the barely noticeable age of forty-two. Faint contour lines traced throughout his rather tan lower torso. He chuckled as he watched the young woman's cheeks darken and her eyes widen, "Now, now. You don't get these without working for 'em. I've been working on a farm in way or another since I was fourteen."

Haley shook her head in shock, standing up and starting for the door, her hands behind her head, "I need a lady moment excuse me." She closed the door behind her in a rush.

Aria giggled at her friend's expense, "You'll have to excuse my friend. She is only making up for the fact that she has a secret relationship with someone on campus and can't gush about him in public."

"Oh, sweetheart. Don't apologize for her. She's splendid." He noticed his son's girlfriend curled up on the hospital bed beside him; there was no room for even the Holy Ghost to fit, "So, Aria? You've seemed to have made yourself perfectly comfortable beside my kid there." He shook his head, making his way over to the other side of the room, plopping on Kenneth's usual place, "Young love. You both are still in the honeymoon phase."

Aria giggled and snuggled even closer to her injured boyfriend, "Well, we don't plan on ever getting out of it." She leaned up and kissed the stubble on his cheek, rubbing the top of his hand vigorously, "_You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams_."

"Really? You're going to pull Dr. Seuss out of a huge hat of overused love quotes?" Bill rolled his eyes, smiling widely, "You two make me sick. But in the best way possible, I suppose." Somehow, he managed to spot the plastic ring that Ezra had given Aria from one of the weeks that had spent together and his eyes shot open, "Wait you two are getting married? Why didn't you tell me that you were engaged?"

"No, no, no, Dad." Ezra shook his head, chuckling along with Aria, who began playing with the ring as if she was remembering the day he'd given it to her with such great detail that it seemed as recent as earlier that day, "It's just a plastic ring that I bought for twenty-five cents from one of those dispenser machines. It was only a couple weeks after we established our relationship-"

"Established your relationship? Is what the young'uns are calling it these days? _Establishing their relationships?" _Bill laughed and shook his head again, chunking on his gum and raising his eyebrows mischievously, "So you mean after you two slept together?"

"Dad!"

He ignored the plea, his grin growing wider. He turned to Aria this time, "So, was my kid throw in some good moves?"

Ezra threw his head back in frustration, "Dad, if you don't shut up, I swear I am going to beat you to death."

"Easy there, Thor. No need to say threats that you're not going to follow up on because you're too much of a chicken to lay a finger on me. I have the fighting experience that you'll never have."

"Dad, I didn't mean it like that, but you know I could-"

"Oh no you couldn't. Just face the facts. You know it's true, kiddo. Don't even both denying it. You're just lying to everyone in this room." He just shook his head at his son and then peered at Aria, deep in thought, "When he was born, the doctors thought he was a girl because his little pee wee was so damn small! It was like a little schmuckle 'bout the size of a Tic Tac."

"Dad, just stop!" With his cheeks beat red, Ezra glanced at Aria who was also crimson from the attempt not to giggle. He shook his head, trying not to laugh himself, "You're not just going to show up in my life again and start talking crap that isn't even true!"

"Well, maybe not after puberty when your testicles finally dropped and you grew a couple hairs underneath your arms." Again, Bill totally disregarded his son's request and his smile widened even more, "So, Aria, did he? Did he throw in some moves in the, um, _establishing of your relationship_?"

"Guess whose back? Back again. Haley's back, tell a friend. Hey, hey all of you! What have I missed? " For some reason, God decided to throw Haley back into the room again. She walked through the door, alert and ready to be involved in the conversation, "Wait, are we talking about penises here? " She clapped her hands in excitement, "Yay, penis jokes! So, I heard this one…"

God made up for His previous falter when Kenneth poked his head through the hospital room door, his beaming smile spreading across his face, "Mr. William Fitz, would you like to meet your granddaughter, Princess Emma of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? She's just over three feet tall and is three years old. She has a heart of gold and she's ready to meet the man she's been waiting to see for her entire life." He opened the door a little bit more so Emma could slip in the room.

Haley made gushing noises at the little girl as she made her way over cautiously to her grandfather, "Hey there, short stuff."

"Hi, Princess Haley. And it is Princess Emma, if you don't mind." She stuck her tongue out at her before turning back to Bill, whose eyes were as wide as saucers as he took in his granddaughter's appearance for the first time. It was the first time that Ezra noticed something that set Emma and Bill apart from the rest of them. He guessed that Kenneth had never seen it before when Emma first opened her eyes. It was rather hard for the family's situation but he noticed it as soon as the two were set across from each other.

_They had the same eyes. _

Emma looked at Bill with happiness and tenderness brimming from her young features. She extended her hand to him, which he took with gratitude as he knelt down before her. She tapped him on both shoulders, "Hello, King William. I am Princess Emma."

He kissed the top of her hand, tears shining in his eyes as he blubbered out, "Hell-Hello, Princess Emma. King William Fitz at your….Oh just give me a hug!" The little girl strung her arms around his neck as he pulled her in close, pressing his trembling lips into her curly light brown hair, "I'm sorry I haven't been around in your life, princess. But I promise that I am going to be here for you for the rest of my time here on Earth."

She pulled away and kissed his cheek, "Well, I will have to check with my royal council about the new addition to the kingdom. But I think they'll make an exception if the new king is my Papa." She turned to Ezra and her father, who were watching the entire scene with watery eyes, "Addressing my royal council, Batman and Prince Uncle Ezra."

Ezra laughed and then straightened up for his niece who was taking this very well for someone who just found out that her grandfather actually existed, "Yes, Princess Emma?"

"I send in a…request!" She struggled with the last word request, but managed to say it after a couple tries, "May King William join the kingdom of Pennsylvania?"

Kenneth glanced at his little brother who nodded with ease, "He may have to shave that raggedy beard of his, but yes, my Princess. He may join the kingdom."

"Yay!" Emma clapped and looked to Bill once more, tapping her fingers against his shoulder's, "I announce you King William, the king of the Kingdom of Pennsylvania." She hugged him again before tugging him out of the room, "Come on, Papa! I want you to find me a book downstairs at the bookstore! I think Princess Katrin said that she read me _If You Gave a Mouse a Cookie_. Then it can be the book you can read me when we go back to the kingdom of Philly. Maybe you can take me out for a cheesesteak! They're my favorite things in the whole word. Apart from my Ariel doll of course!"

"Yes, my Princess Emma." Bill hoisted the three year old up onto his shoulders and kissed her knee, "Let's go find that book!"

Ezra smiled at the sight as Bill, Emma, and Kenneth left the room. He knew that Emma had been asking ever since she was able to communicate properly that she wanted to meet the grandfather that was absent for her first three years. Knowing his father from when he was a boy, he also knew that Bill was an expert at making people like him. He had the charm that he had engraved into his sons when they were toddlers. He was going to make up for it and spend every waking moment with his first grandchild.

He leaned over and kissed Aria's temple, "Aren't you looking forward to experiencing that one day with our own prince or princess?" She didn't respond for a couple moments and he peered at Haley who was staring at her friend with intensity. He huffed in exasperation, growing impatient with the silence from both of them, "Okay, you two need to cut it with the secrets. We never had the chance to discuss the other night, but now that I am awake and alert, it's time for the truth to come out. Haley," He locked gazes with his girlfriend's colleague, "I know that you know something that my girlfriend doesn't want me to know. So, if you don't tell me what you congratulated me for on Thursday morning, I am just going to continue to assume the worst."

Haley took that as her cue to actually become serious. Her face, which was usually filled with mischief, was dead serious, "That's not my job to do. It's your girlfriend's." She excused herself from the room, giving him the distinct impression that Aria needed to tell him something that even one of her closest friends couldn't sit in on, "I should go check in with the dean and let her know what is going on. Aria," The friends and colleagues locked eyes, "This is your chance to tell him the truth." She kissed her forehead and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Ezra was extremely alarmed; between the pain killers and the huge revelation of his father being back in his life, his mind was racing with a million thoughts. And Aria keeping secrets from him was not what he planned to be dealing with. He clung tighter to her, setting his chin on top of her shoulder, "What are you keeping from me, Aria?"

"I guess there is no point of running away from it anymore, is there?" She sighed and pushed him away, leaving his arms icy cold as she left them so she could begin to pace around the room, one of her hands cradling her stomach, "I never intended for you to find out this way, Ezra. I was going to tell you eventually but I just couldn't when we were over three hundred miles apart and couldn't afford the time off work or the plane ticket to Rosewood."

He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his thick curls, "What are you hiding? Is it really so bad that you had to hide it from me? Aria, we agreed to tell each other _everything_; especially after you took this job in Boston. I've never kept anything from you before; hell, I even told you about my dad, who says that, he, my father who I hadn't seen in almost two decades, met you on Saturday. That's another lie that you've kept from me! Do you realize how pissed I am about that? You saw my dad and never even bothered to mentioning it."

"I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt you by keeping it from you!" She wailed through her tears, continuing in her path of pacing around his hospital room, "But I never lied to you, Ezra!"

"By not telling me the truth about your intentions behind questioning the living hell out of me about him is lying! So, what else are you hiding? Tell me before I find out through Katrin, Haley, or even that piece of shit Nicholas who seems to always be hanging all over you like some deranged lunatic looking for an escort to a brothel!"

"That isn't true and you know it!"

"I don't know what to believe anymore! You've been keeping something huge from me and I have no idea what it is. I've been guessing for a while and I have come up with nothing. Why don't you just tell me? I just want honesty out of you, Aria. As your boyfriend, that's not a huge request from you." He looked up at the ceiling, trying not to cry and show the pain that was brewing over the chambers of his heart, "So just tell me the truth!"

Aria took in a shaky breath and finally was able to calm her nerves, sitting in the chair at his bedside. She tentatively took his hand and he squeezed it comfortingly, looking at her with regretful eyes, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry I yelled at you. But please understand that I'm just worried about you, about _us_. Please just tell me the truth. Please." He pleaded with her, kissing her fingers by each individual limb, lips lingering on her skin.

She nodded, locking gazes with him; her hazel one drowned him a sea of almonds and coco butter, warming his icy soul, "Ezra, do you remember the night before I came to Boston? We were on the balcony and we danced and then we…"

"We made love. I remember." He narrowed his eyes and asked quietly, nervousness creeping over him, "Did I give you a STD or something? Aria, I'm so sorry. I had no idea! I'll pay for the medical expenses and cover your health insurance deductible. I can't believe that I was that stupid! I should have gotten tested before we ever…This is all my fault!"

She looked at him widely, shaking her head and trying to soothe his nerves by rubbing the top of his hand vigorously, "No, Ezra, calm down! You didn't give me a STD."

He let out a deep breath, his good shoulder relaxing a bit as he loosened up and untensed, kissing her fingers again, "Thank God, Ar. I would have hated myself for burdening you like that." He opened up his arms for her to lie in, ignoring the slight pain on the right side of his body. She obliged without hesitation, settling her head into the crape of his neck. He sighed happily, pressing pecks to the strands of her hair, "So, if that's not what's going on here, then what is it?"

She tensed against him and met his eyes again, twirling one of his curls around her finger, "Well, you didn't have any condoms, but I told you that I had it taken care of and that we didn't have to worry about it…" Her sentence trailed off after a few moments and she didn't bother to finish the words that stuck to her tongue like superglue.

"Tell me, Aria. I don't want to lose you now. You're the other half of me. You've been right here all along. You're the only one for me, baby and I can't lose you."

"If you really mean that, you have to promise that you will be beside me every step of the way. What I am about to tell you is that…"

His mind flashed back to that night in August. The sweet cries of fervor that had echoed throughout their apartment in the small town of Rosewood on the fifth floor of the old apartment building. The banging of the headboard against the wall to clarify the coming of a man and a woman being together in the most physical way possible. He remembered the sense of her touch sending a shiver down his spine as her nails had dug into his back as he tried to pleasure her, her moans and groans falling into the back of his throat as they were locked in a deadlock makeout session.

He hadn't stocked up on condoms because he hadn't planned on having sex that night. He had expected the dance and a few kisses mixed with tears while they cuddled on the couch, but that was how he showed his love for her. He wasn't all for the physical stuff. He had warned her of that from the beginning; he wanted to know the real her and much rather kiss her sweetly than screw her every second of every minute of every day or every week. Ezra Fitz wasn't that type of guy; not even when his hormones controlled him during his time as a teenager. Maybe he was a different breed of man that hadn't been listening during Sex Ed.

Aria had convinced him that if they made love that night that she would be covered. What if she wasn't like she said? What if she had missed her birth control pill for the day? Or even pills?

He knew. He already knew what she was about to tell him.

He swallowed deeply, stroking Aria's hair and buried his face into it, "Just say it, Aria. Say it out loud."

That was when Aria and Ezra's gazes locked. All that had happened between them, from reuniting to their first date to their first time and then moving into together after what happened with his stubborn older brother and then adjusting to that, becoming closer and closer by each passing moment was going to change. The move to Boston and being so far apart for months at a time; not before making love in the most beautiful way. Everything was going to change now. _Everything_.

She finally uttered a sentence that he had never thought he'd hear. Not one until after they were on the road to making their relationship work with just the two of them. Not until they were in the same state and not three hundred miles apart; that they would be lucky enough to only be inches apart. Not until they heard the wedding bells from the old church in Rosewood. Not until one established their career in the same city as the other. Not until they actually planned for something like this.

"Just say it."

She took in another shaky breath before whispering in his ear, her breath stinging the tiny hairs along the pattern of his neck.

"_You're going to be a daddy."_

* * *

><p><strong>First off, I'd like to thank you all for sticking with this story, despite the lack of updates because of my hectic schedule. Your support has been nothing short of awesome. And I think that all of you are really going to enjoy the sequel that I hope to post the first chapter of by next weekend. Without you all, I wouldn't be as confident as I am in my writing. I would still be in the days when I didn't even want to say the word sex in my fanfics. I genuinely hope you enjoyed the final chapter of the first part of the IKT trilogy. You're in for a crazy ride!<strong>

**By the way, the sequel's title is "Never Let Me Go", based off of the empowering song by Florence + The Machine. So, like I said, make sure to keep a look out for it sometime within the next eight days. Also keep your eyes peeled for a very delayed Chapter 6 of Thin Skin and Barely Bone sometime this week as well. Hopefully (if I manage not to get distracted by a shiny light), I will have it updated by late Saturday evening.**

**Please, **_**please, **__**please**__**, **__**PLEASE**_**don't forget to leave me feedback! I tried very hard on both parts of I'd Fall in Love and although I write for me, as said before, your reviews are fun and encouraging to read, especially when I don't feel confident in my writing ability. So, just drop a sentence or two about how you liked/disliked this chapter. Please constructive criticism, no burning!**

**All of you have been so amazing through the past year and a half through the struggle it has been to write this fanfic. My first AU has really done well on this archive and I certainly its sequel just does as well.**

**Thank you again! And see you soon!**


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